


Mean Boys

by Rosey Writes (ithefantasticfanatic), Veladryssa



Category: Mean Girls (2004), Original Work
Genre: Drama, F/M, High School, School Life, Teen Romance, depending on content, may change some tagging later on, teen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2019-10-22 05:32:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 51,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17656844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ithefantasticfanatic/pseuds/Rosey%20Writes, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veladryssa/pseuds/Veladryssa
Summary: This one is shorter than before, and for that, I greatly apologize! I promise the next one is going to be longer!





	1. Chapter 1

“You ready to go in?” Cassandra Elworth, Lily Eriksen’s best friend, nudged her and flashed a pearly smile. Lily bit her lip, looking at the large school across the street from them. It was a sunny morning, crisp, the beginning of the school season. September. With one hell of a summer behind her, she looked to the girl she called her sister and gave a small, hesitant smile. “I-I think so,” she replied softly. Cass took her arm, pulling her along. “Come on, Lils! New year, new start! Let’s have some fun!” Lily could only hope. It hadn’t even been that long since Cassandra and her parents took her in. Looking at the cast on her arm, her broken, useless arm, she sighed and let her friend take her across the street.

 

The school was a lot bigger than the one she was used to, but she had to admire Cass’ determination and ferocity, even if Cass herself swore it was just an act. Several people cast their gazes in Lily’s direction, staring directly at the plaster cast on her arm. Great… way to make her feel even more insecure. “C-Cass, I don’t… I don’t know about this…” Cassandra glanced at Lily, pursing her lips. “Lils, come on,” she urged, pulling her even more toward the building. “You can’t say you’re ready, then start backing out the closer we get. Come on! You were so strong this summer! I know you can do this! It’s all a matter of perspective!” 

 

Cheerleaders were in the yard, practicing new routines, but all Lily could do was turn her head away. It would be rude to look for too long, someone might think she was staring. The students, however, were doing enough of that in her direction on their own. The yard was massive, filled with familiar sounds that seemed to flare like a cacophony in her ears. Sights she’d seen at her old school, but still somehow all too alien to her. Lily didn’t know any of these people. It was a bigger place and she was a stranger. Keeping her gaze down as Cassandra all but dragged her inside, almost running into someone in the process. “Watch it, cripple!” Lily’s gaze immediately shot up to see a guy, about her height with dark hair and an angry expression almost as if it were carved into his face. “Why don’t you look where you’re going next time!” Cassandra fired back. 

 

Shaking her head, Lily took her friend by the arm and started further into the school, trying to ignore the stares they were drawing. “Cass, please,” Lily whispered urgently. “I don’t… not on our first day. We still have to get to the office.” Aqua eyes met hazel, narrowed before they softened into concern. Cass nodded, sighed, then continued through the halls on their own, following the signs to the main office. 

  
  
  


The walls were beige, almost yellow, the scent of old papers, dust, and too much cleaning solution assailed Lily’s nostrils as the secretary told her and Cassandra to have a seat, that the principal would be with them shortly. While the leather of the principal’s chair might have been nice at one time, it was cracked and peeling with age, as if no one had time to replace it. The splintered wood on the armrests and the desk only seem to accentuate and add to it. Their chairs, however, seemed to be in newer condition, but not by much. Cushions worn with age, the legs scraped from the heels of shoes. Sunlight filtered in hazily through the blinded windows. If Lily were being honest, the principal’s office wasn’t much different from the one at her old school. She wondered if…

 

“Ah, sorry about your wait, girls,” a man, who looked to be in his fifties, strolled into the office. Well-kempt, silver-haired, striding around to his seat with confidence, this had to be Frank Edwards, the principal. Carrying two files in his hands, he swiveled as he sat in his chair, opening one on his desk. The sounds from the hallway were barely muted as the door closed. “All right, Miss uh…” Looking over the name, he glanced back up at each one of them. “Miss Elworth.” Cassandra straightened and gave a small smile and a nod. “That’s me, sir,” she said cheerfully. Mr. Edwards glanced at Lily. “Then you must be Miss Eriksen.” Lily nodded shyly, keeping her gaze on the backpack strap held by her good hand. Sighing, the principal tucked away the folders, pulling two schedules from his desk drawer. Handing one to each of them, he continued. “If you have any questions about anything, please don’t hesitate to come to the office. And-” “Mr. Edwards, sorry to interrupt, but we’re having another issue that requires your attention,” the secretary had only knocked once before making her announcement. 

 

With an exasperated sigh, and something that sounded like  _ ‘Those boys again,’ _ Mr. Edwards nodded and stood from his desk, gesturing to both of the girls. “Have a look over your schedules, girls. Everything is pretty easy to find.” Without another word, he left, leaving Cass and Lily to look over their schedules together. “Uhm…” Lily bit her lip as she looked over both, peering at Cass nervously. Not a single class together. Only their lunches were at the same time. “Bloody f-” Cass cut herself off. She never swore, making Lily giggle. “You see this, right Lils? Not a single bloody class together! I-” She inhaled deeply before shaking her head. “It’s fine. This is fine. We can work this out. We’ll just… test it and see how it goes.” Lily nodded, clearing her throat as she stood. Together, the two of them left the office to find the hallways crowded and noisy, filled with students and teachers alike. Lockers closing and people blowing past them, without so much of a word other than talking to those they were walking with. 

 

Further down the hall, they could see the principal, scolding someone taller than him. Platinum blonde hair, leather jacket, wearing sneer on his face as he argued back. Curious, much like everyone else, Lily and Cassandra stepped closer to hear what was being said. “Save your excuses, Starkweather, one more time and it’s expulsion! I don’t care if your father is the sheriff, that was uncalled for!” The closer the girls were, the better they could make out the ‘Starkweather’ guy’s face. Chiseled, pierced, with blue eyes that didn’t seem natural for anyone to possess. Lily had to nudge Cass, tucking her head down. “You’re staring,” she whispered to her friend. Cass shrugged, then gave her a teasing smile. “He’s cute,” she whispered back. “Come on, Edwards,” Starkweather protested, drawing his shoulders back. “You know as well as I do it was wrong place, wrong time! Fiyero, he-” 

 

“You’re always blaming the Deamorte boy for your transgressions, Jason,” Mr. Edwards sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “When will you learn that enough is enough? That boy is covered in toilet water, which you know as well as I do, Fiyero would not be seen in that bathroom.” Jason scoffed, clenching his fists and jaw. “He set me up!” “It’s not my fault you let your temper get in the way of simply talking to someone, Jason,” another voice spoke up, and someone brushed past Lily. Hair so deep of a blood red, with brighter tips, enough to make it look on fire under the fluorescent light. Taller than her for sure, his voice was… nice, Lily thought. His clothing looked expensive, his attitude suggested the same thing. Was that… Fiyero Deamorte? Whispers started around them, confirming that’s exactly who this redhead was. He turned, and Lily felt her heart slam in her chest. He was… he was the single most gorgeous guy she’d ever laid eyes on. As if he were a living statue, perfect in every sense of the word.

 

“I think more than half of the student body here can confirm the only thing I’ve done was send Jason on a little errand to  _ speak  _ to the Swift boy, nothing more.” Murmurs of agreement buzzed in the hall. Jason squared his jaw and gave Fiyero the finger. “You sonofabitch, you set me up and you know it!” “All right, that’s enough! Mr. Deamorte, please get to class,” Mr. Edwards groaned, then looked to the rest of the students. “The same goes for the rest of you! Go on, get out of here!” The crowd started to disburse when Lily and Cassandra heard the principal again. “As for you, Jason, a month’s detention. Go on, get to class.” It was more than obvious this pissed Jason off, but he said nothing. Instead, he pushed his way into the crowd. Most knew to get out of his way, clearing a path as he stormed through. Then the bell rang. Guess it was time for class, after all. 


	2. Chapter 2

Lily’s first class was Ancient History & Myth, while Cassandra’s was AP Music & Theory, each one at the opposite ends of the school from one another. With a sigh, Cass gave Lily a tight squeeze, promising to meet up with her at lunch. Nodding, Lily smiled as bright as she could, splitting off from her adoptive sister in search of her class. They weren’t even given lockers yet. Casting another melancholy glance at her broken arm, she shifted, adjusting her backpack and sighed. This was the final week and the cast could finally come off. Navigating through several halls, she finally managed to find the classroom on her own. Class was already in session, the teacher speaking animatedly from what Lily could see through the window as she knocked on the door. Immediately, everyone turned their attention toward the door as the teacher approached, opening it curiously. “Yes?” The woman’s eyes lit up brightly as an equally bright smile lit up her features. “Oh! I was wondering when you’d arrive! Come in, dear! Come in!” With that, the teacher gently held the cast of her broken arm, leading her inside and gestured to the rest of the class.

Filled with unfamiliar faces, all eyes locked on her, Lily felt her chest tighten. She hated it when people stared. Ah, there was one familiar face, at least. Fiyero. Some of the students looked curious, others went back to what they were doing, Fiyero included, texting away on their cell phones. The teacher, Miss Eppes, was still kind as ever as she introduced Lily to the class. “All right, dear,” she said with a smile. “I know being a new student can be nerve-wracking, but we’ll do our best to make sure you feel at home here. Now, we have assigned seating, alphabetical order, and your partner is…” Glancing at her attendance sheet, Miss Eppes pointed to one of the empty seats in the classroom. Right beside Fiyero. “Fiyero Deamorte.” He briefly raised his head, giving Lily a once-over and winked at her with a smirk, then immediately went back to texting, seeming completely at ease with everything around him. 

Swallowing the knot in her throat, Lily quietly made her way to her seat, keeping her gaze to the floor in case anyone decided to trip her. As often as it’s happened before, she was surprised that this was the first time, the first school, that hadn’t done that so far. It might take time, until people got used to her at least. Miss Eppes resumed the lesson, completely oblivious to those still texting on their cell phones. Once she sat down, Lily rummaged through her back for her notebook, listening to every word that was said. Odd… she remembered these lessons. She’d taken them before. Last year, as a matter of fact. She decided to wait until the end of class to speak to the woman, waiting for the lesson to end. 

A tap on her shoulder. Lily ignored it for the time being, thinking someone was just pranking her when it happened again. She turned, only to be met with a pair of startling blue eyes and blonde hair.  _ Jason Starkweather?  _ No… no, that wasn’t right. This one didn’t have any piercings and was dressed completely different. This one was dressed in a flannel shirt, rolled to the elbows and jeans with what looked like workboots. He smiled at her. “Hey, uh,” he leaned closer, whispering to her, his accent sounding as if he’d been raised in the south. “You’re the new girl, right? I’m Jonathan.” Lily grinned slightly, nodding. “I’m Lily,” she whispered back. “So, uh, Lily,” Jonathan inched closer, looking over her cast, which was covered in flowers from Cass. “How’d you, uh, break your arm?” “Oh,” glancing down, she rubbed her cast and bit her lip before meeting his eyes again. “It’s… it’s a long s-story, but… it-it comes off this weekend.” He smiled at her, broad and bright, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners. “Hey, that’s great!” Jonathan touched her arm, which made Lily flinch. No one touched her except for Cass. No one could. This one didn’t seem deterred and continued. “Can’t have a pretty little lady like you all broken up, now can we?”

“Jonathan, no one wants the ‘Brokeback Mountain’ cowboy playing rescue, so drop it,” that was Fiyero. Lily recognized his voice, turning to be met with the most beautiful shade of emerald in a pair of eyes she’d ever seen. “Honey,” he was speaking to her this time. “Do you want this creep taking you back to his place just to become a drooling lunatic?” “N-No! I-” Fiyero, satisfied, turned a glare toward Jonathan, cutting Lily off. “There. It’s settled. So you can poke around somewhere else now. Goodbye, Jonathan.” “Boys,” Miss Eppes called. “That’s enough. You’re distracting the class.” Lily vaguely heard Jonathan swear under his breath. “Fuckin’ dick,” he hissed as everyone straightened. “Just not yours,” Fiyero quipped back, resuming his texting. The class snickered, but nothing else was said. Lily kept her gaze to her notebook, biting her lip as the teacher resumed her lesson, but felt eyes on her the entire time. 

Then, she was nudged. Her left side this time. It couldn’t have been anyone other than Fiyero. Meeting his eyes, her heart skipped once again at the intensity of the color. His eyes were so green, they didn’t look real. “Don’t mind him, all right, sweetie?” Fiyero gave her a half smile, showing pearly-white teeth. “Just… keep your distance. He’s a bit of a creep.” Lily nodded, not saying anything. Jonathan seemed so nice, so sweet. How was he a creep? But… that made her think of him touching her. Of course, he didn’t know, either. Maybe if she explained it to him later, things would be okay. She hoped so, anyway. The bell rang and everyone immediately rushed toward the door, eager to be out. Lily waited for a clear path and made her way to the teacher as a few students still hung around, Fiyero included. 

“U-Um, M-Miss Eppes?” Lily was at her desk. The woman, who didn’t look much older than them, had chocolate brown hair and pale blue eyes, smiling as she looked up at Lily. “Ah, yes, Lily,” she started cheerfully. “Was there something you didn’t understand about the assignment?” Shaking her head, she clutched the strap of her bag and bit her lip, shuffling a little. “N-No ma’am, I… m-my other school had this c-class and I-I’ve done the work a-already.” A brighter smile painted the teacher’s face. “Lily, dear, that’s wonderful! All you need to do is simply change the date and class information and you’re all set. Feel free to bring in a book or something to occupy your time until we get to where you left off, okay?” “O-Okay,” Lily nodded, a small smile on her face, but noticed someone had stopped and was watching them. Fiyero. What… why… With a faint smile, he said nothing, but left the classroom. “Th-thank you, M-Miss Eppes.” Miss Eppes smiled, allowing Lily to leave next. 

 


	3. Chapter 3

Lily ended up sharing all her morning classes with Fiyero, which, the longer the time went on that morning, the more she saw just how popular he really was. People talking about parties he would throw at his mansion… _A mansion? He has a mansion?_ Then, the way people would gush over his car, or just… gush about him in general. Guys and girls alike, and all of them seemed to want a piece of him. Lily could certainly see why, but it made her even more nervous to be around him. It didn’t help that all their classes together had assigned seating, and each time, he was always beside her. He didn’t even seem to notice she existed in the other classes, or at least, he pretended not to. Lily was used to that. But, it _was_ mildly annoying. He’d talked to her first period, why was he acting like a stranger now? _Because he is, Lily. You just moved here._ Shaking the thoughts from her head, she felt more relief than possible when the bell rang for lunch.

 

 Cass was waiting for her by the lunchroom doors, a bright smile and waving her over. “So,” she took Lily’s arm and walked into the lunch hall, nudging her playfully. “How were your classes? Learn anything new? See anyone cute?” “Cass!” Lily hissed, throwing her gaze around to find that, luckily, no one was paying attention. “C-Classes are fine, um… m-my first period is pretty much free until they get to where we left off at our old school and… and the others are fine.” In line to get their food, Cass still pressed for more details. “Well, don’t just leave me with that, Lils! I _have_ to know these things! It’s part of my duty as your sister.” Lily giggled and shook her head. “What? Come _on._ Please, Lily?” She bat her eyelashes, causing her adopted sister to laugh harder. “Th-there’s, um…” Looking around, people still weren’t paying attention, more concerned with their phones or the person next to them. “Th-there’s this… guy, and um… h-he’s really c-cute, but… h-he’s p-probably not my type and… and he hasn’t n-noticed me, I-I don’t think.”

 

 Grabbing their trays, which were loaded with a slice of pizza, a salad, and water, Cass and Lily searched for a table, luckily finding one that was empty and immediately went for it, sitting with a couple sighs each before continuing their conversation. “Anyone who doesn’t notice you is either blind or a fool,” Cass stated simply, shaking her dressing packet before tearing it to put on her salad. “So… who is this ‘really cute’ boy that doesn’t notice you? Did you get a name?” “Cass,” Lily groaned slightly, her face in her hands. “It hasn’t even been a whole day. I-I’m sure it just n-needs some time.” Looking at her sister, she saw only a deadpan expression and pursed lips. She wasn’t getting out of this one. Tucking her head down, Lily chewed her lip for a moment before answering. “F-Fiyero Deamorte.” She mumbled it, thankful no one heard her, and looked back to Cass, who’d stopped eating her salad mid-bite, her eyes widening as she stared at her. If she hadn’t been so worried, Lily would have laughed at the sight, but she saw a flicker of different emotions pass through the girl’s aqua eyes as she quickly finished her bite.

 

Wiping her mouth with a napkin, Cass took a drink of water and once again stared at Lily, almost bewildered in her expression. “All morning, that’s all I’ve heard about, is _that boy_ ,” she almost sneered. “Lily, you think he’s cute?” That caused Lily to fidget and shrug, chewing her lip all over again. “I-I dunno… M-Maybe…” At that moment, excited yelling interrupted their conversation. Students were clamoring around the window, right where they were sitting. Lily slid in as far as she could, people still pushing into her. One look at Cass and she knew her sister was close to losing her temper, protective as ever. “I-I’m okay,” she told her with a small smile. “Do you think that matters right now, Lily?” She snapped, glaring at the people around them. “Never in my life have I ever seen such disrespect! What is the-” Lily turned her gaze to the window, wondering what everyone was in awe over. Fiyero Deamorte had pulled up in a sleek Maserati, waiting outside for someone. Jason Starkweather. Without another word, the tall blonde joined him and they took off. For how long, neither of the girls knew.

 

“All right, show’s over, you can stop crowding!” Cass had snapped, standing with her hands on the table, gripping the edges enough to turn her normally tan hands white at the knuckles. Everyone who had crowded them murmured quietly amongst themselves, whispering and pointing as they cleared away. Cass sighed, falling back into her chair with a huff. “Are you all right, baby girl?” Aqua eyes, once darkened by anger, had returned to their normal shade, bearing only concern. Lily straightened and nodded, glancing at the disbursing crowd before she dug into her food. “Y-Yeah, I… I’m all right,” she said softly. “Are you sure? I could have a word with the principal. And don’t forget to eat something, baby, okay?” Shaking her head, Lily gave her a teasing smile and tossed a piece of lettuce from her salad at Cass. “Yes, mom.” They giggled and Cass flicked a pepperoni from her pizza at her. “Well, someone’s gotta look after you, you know,” she replied, digging into her salad as Lily started on her pizza. “You’d forget your own head if it wasn’t attached.”

 

Lily gave a look of mock offense and flicked a pepperoni back at Cass, her hazel eyes crinkling in a smile. “That’s besides the point,” she fired back playfully. “We can’t all be completely centered like you, all meditation all the time.” “Oi, those exercises work for you as well,” Cass replied, still eating her salad, disregarding the tossed pepperoni. “And they’re mantras, breathing exercises, and other different things put together. But that’s enough about that. Don’t forget to take your medicine, baby.” Sighing, Lily nodded and took a bag out of her backpack, one that rattled. Inside was her medication for pain, as well as her iron tablets for her iron deficiency. She hated those the most. They always left a metallic taste in her mouth, and it’s only been recent that she’d been prescribed them, about the time Cassandra’s parents took her away from her parents.

 

Shaking her head as she almost chugged her water, Lily sighed and glanced around the lunchroom. She leaned forward, looking over the other students as she lowered her voice to speak to Cass. “What’s the big deal with those two, anyway? J-Jason and Fiyero, I mean… H-Have you heard anything?” Cass scoffed and leaned back in her chair, glancing in Lily’s direction before turning back to her sister. “I’ve heard enough,” she replied, sipping almost elegantly on her own water. “And even with what _you’ve_ stated, it hasn’t even been a whole day. Why? Are you _curious_?” Even she leaned forward, her aqua eyes teasing. Lily flushed and put her forehead against the table. “Shut. Up.” Cass laughed.

 

After lunch, the two went to their own respective classes. Lily noticed Fiyero didn’t return for the rest of the day. Neither he nor Jason came back to school that day. Was it a frequent occurrence? She didn’t know. _Probably best not to get into it,_ she told herself. But when the last bell rang, the dismissal bell, the two sisters saw the boys again, waiting for someone it seemed. A boy, just a fraction taller than Lily herself, had pushed past both of them and jumped into a waiting Maserati, with Fiyero and Jason in the front seats while he took the back. “Rude,” Cass scoffed. Lily only bit her lip, keeping her head down as the car peeled out from the parking lot as students clamored to get out of the way. “L-let’s just… let’s go home.”

  
  


Once they’d gotten home, both Cass and Lily instantly discarded their backpacks at the door, kicking off their shoes and plopping themselves on the couch. Neither one of Cass’ parents were home. Instead, they were touring, both of them being famous classical musicians. While her father was a violinist, her mother played piano, but both of them were on tour for the same show. Lily played piano herself, but declined Cassandra’s mother’s offering of teaching her further, stating she just wanted to take a break for a time. Not only would a broken arm inhibit her playing, there were too many past traumas that she needed to recover from. Yet, even still, the offer still stood, whenever she was ready.

 

“Wonder what’s on TV,” Lily hummed absentmindedly, grabbing the remote control. Cass, however, snatched it back and left the television off. “Hey! It was our first day! We’re allowed!” “I need your help with a few things in the kitchen,” Cass shook her head and stood, nodding in gesture as she started for the massive kitchen. Lily groaned, letting her head fall back and stood to join her. “What are you baking _now_?” “I’m not baking anything,” her sister promised. “You’re helping me make dinner.” “Cass, come on,” Lily huffed as she followed. Cass was quickly pulling things from cabinets and the fridge, humming as she did. “You always make more than enough. At this rate, I’ll give Augustus Gloop a run for his money.” Cass snorted, tossing Lily a bag of noodles. “Just get over here.”

 

What Lily said was true. Cassandra always made more than what they could stomach in one sitting, cooking more than enough for the two of them. That night was no exception. Pasta Primavera, cooked to perfection as always. And while she knew Cass was just trying to take care of her and make up for all that she couldn’t have with her parents, it was still taking time. Lily didn’t eat much, she never did. Everyone always thought she was starving herself when really, that wasn’t the case. Her _parents_ often starved _her_. But she always ate with Cass. Heaving a contented sigh, she pushed her plate back and rubbed her stomach happily as she reached for her milk. So tired… it seemed Cass’ cooking always had the ability to make her want a nap immediately afterward. “Finish your food, baby,” Cass said pointedly. “I’ve got to make sure you’re eating properly.” Lily groaned sleepily as she placed her milk down, wiping her lip. “ I'm fine,” she replied, even her voice sounding tired. “I’m just gonna… get to bed now.” With a satisfied smile and a small giggle, Cass grabbed her plate and put it in the fridge, packaging away the leftovers to join it. “Go to bed, baby. I love you.” “I love you, too,” Lily called back over her shoulder. Nothing eventful happened for a week.

 

*  * *  * *

 

Saturday morning, Lily rubbed her eyes blearily to find she’d woken before her alarm again. She was still getting used to living with someone, _anyone_ , that cared about her, her biological clock still inwardly panicking at waking up late. She sighed and shuffled to the bathroom, which was luckily attached to her bedroom. _Just quickly take my medicine, then get in the shower,_ she told herself. After internally fighting herself to undress and expose her skin to the cool air, Lily was finally in the shower, yelping at first to the water’s temperature before it became bearable. _That’ll teach me for not turning the water on beforehand_ . Washing up with her honeysuckle bodywash and mango shampoo, she felt much more invigorated once she’d stepped out, wrapping a towel around herself the best she could with that cast. _At least it gets taken off today,_ she thought happily. Once she’d dressed, she heard Cass knock on her bedroom door. “Wakey wakey, baby!” Her happy voice chirped through the wood. “Today’s the big day!” “I’m already awake,” Lily called back. “Just need my shoes is all!”

 

Cass came in as Lily stepped out, her hair damp from her morning shower as well. “Well, you look excited,” she teased with a smile, grabbing the brush as Lily grabbed her shoes. Lily snorted that time and sat on the bed. “Wouldn’t you be? Having to wear a brick for six weeks gets annoying quickly.” “I know, baby,” she replied softly, getting on the bed and brushing Lily’s hair. “You’ve been so strong with all this, I just…” Cass’ voice started to crack and Lily turned. “Hey, no crying,” she nudged her sister. “Happy thoughts. I… I’m done with that part of my life now.” As Lily’s voice grew soft, Cass seemed to find a renewed strength and sniffed, nodding adamantly. “That’s right, you _are_ done with that nonsense! And so brave!” Lily didn’t know what part of that was bravery, but still, she smiled softly, sighing again as she finished putting her shoes on.

 

After about another hour, it was time to go. Neither Cass nor Lily had a car, both of them content on riding the bus to get them where they needed to be. Walking toward the end of the block, Lily was listening to Cass talk about everything they’d need for school now, deciding on going shopping after Lily’s cast was off. Lily nodded, humming in approval every so often. At the bus stop, Cass was still talking when the bus arrived, not really noticing until Lily grabbed her arm, giggling as she pulled her on with her. “Baby, that was rude,” she huffed as they paid, finding their seats further in. “Well, if you weren’t so keen on being Captain Gumflap with your war on silence, I wouldn’t have had to.” Cass’ mouth fell open and Lily caught a wicked gleam in her eyes. “Don’t you even start with me, missy,” Cass replied, giggling with her. “Next you’ll be telling me I’m trying to catch flies or something.” “You said it this time, not me,” she smirked and relaxed in her seat. “Though, it wouldn’t be the first time your mouth has hung open like a waiting invitation.” Cass tapped her arm playfully, both of them bursting into fits of giggles.

 

The bus stop closest to the doctor’s office was half a block away, leaving the girls to walk the rest of the way. They didn’t mind, they enjoyed the sights and everything was still so new to Lily. One of the first places she wanted to go was the book store after her cast was removed. Before they could cross the street to reach the doctor’s office, a car was barreling down the road, causing Lily to inhale sharply and jerk Cass backward. The girls stumbled as the car halted on its breaks, directly in front of them. A wine red Maserati, and Jason Starkweather was in the passenger seat, staring at them with a bewildered expression. That could only mean one person was in the driver’s seat.

 

The ignition was shut off, and both doors opened. Fiery red hair greeted Lily’s eyes, almost blazing in the morning sun. Fiyero. Exhaling sharply, Lily looked down as Cass squared her shoulders. “You mind watching where you’re going?” She snapped, but her sister could see the barely visible shake of her hands, rattled as much as she was. “You could have killed us!” “Ease up there, Freckles,” Jason said coolly as he approached them. “Not our fault you didn’t look where you were going. And look, girl’s already got a broken arm.” “That’s enough, Jason,” Fiyero was in front of them, his eyes looking over both girls curiously. “I’m terribly sorry about this, ladies. Surely, there’s no need to report this?” He took Lily’s hand and kissed her knuckles, causing her to blush furiously as Cass started protesting. “Are you both bloody mad? You almost hit us with that death trap you call a car and he thinks it’s cute to harass me with a name like that? I’m going to call the police.”

 

“C-Cass, wait,” Lily stammered quietly, throwing her sister a pleading glance. “H-He said he was s-sorry and I… I think w-we can g-give them another chance.” “Yeah, Freckles,” Jason piped up, getting everyone’s attention. “Listen to the girl. Give us another chance.” Cass scoffed. “And you,” aqua eyes locked on to a deeper blue as she confronted him, even if he was taller than both of the girls as well as Fiyero. “Don’t think your little nickname is cute, hotshot. I can cut you down to size quicker than you can blink. _Don’t_ test me.” Jason’s eyebrows rose in surprise temporarily before relaxing into his same cocky demeanor. Lily knew she was furious. Cass never threatened _anybody_ , so this was unsettling for her. “C-Cass, please.” Immediately, her sister turned her focus to Lily, then a bit down to see Fiyero still held Lily’s hand in his. He didn’t abruptly release it like she expected, but let it down softly, giving her a wink before turning to Cass. “Would you ladies allow us to make it up to you? Where are you headed? We could take you there.” Lily opened her mouth to reply before Cass snatched her arm and pulled her away. “I don’t think so,” she spat, her eyes shooting daggers at both of them, yet somehow lingered longer on Jason. “We can make it ourselves. Come on, Lily baby, let’s get that cast removed.”

 

Cass pulled her along, and Lily briefly threw her gaze back to see the boys staring after them. She saw Jason eyeing Cass still while Fiyero… Fiyero’s eyes were locked on her, his expression unreadable, still with that same half-smirk that he usually wore at school. “Do you… You believe they’re sorry, r-right Cass?” “I believe they’re as sorry as a bloodsucking leech,” Cass’ voice had a bite to it, which immediately became apologetic. “I’m sorry, baby, this isn’t your fault. I shouldn’t be snapping at you. Hey, let’s get some food after your cast is off, huh?” Lily gave her a small smile and nodded as they continued down the street, the boys still staring after them.


	4. Chapter 4

Crowded and stuffy, the doctor’s office waiting room was filled with patients who were sick or simply needing checkups. Lily  _ hated  _ doctor’s offices. She hated hospitals entirely, for that matter. Too many bad memories. Shuddering involuntarily, she looked to Cass, who was signing her in and gave her a thoughtful smile. “It’s all right, baby,” she said sweetly. “This is a good thing. And a good day, too!” Lily nodded shakily and went to find a couple seats while they waited. Cass joined her, taking her arm as they sat down together. “I just want to be out of here,” Lily said wistfully. “I-I don’t…” “I know you don’t like being here, honey,” her sister replied, glancing at the decor on the walls. “It’s dreadful and dull and you’ve been in places like this more times than you can count, but! I  _ can  _ promise you that unless it’s a real emergency, you won’t ever have to come back here ever again.” 

 

That made her feel a little better, sighing as her shoulders sagged just a fraction. Even if her anxiety threatened to make her chest hurt all over again, at least she would be almost done with doctor’s offices and hospitals. “Lily?” A nurse opened the door to enter the exam rooms and the girls stood, Lily nodding her head and walking first, albeit timidly. The place still gave her the shivers. The nurse took her height and weight, then led her to an exam room to wait for the doctor to come and remove her cast. Shaking, she bounced her leg once she sat down, anxiously keeping her eye on the door and her bracelet.  _ Doctor Graves, Adrian.  _ Well, time would tell when he’d show up. Normally, doctors took forever to come and make an appearance. Apparently, this doctor was not that type. 

 

Within five minutes of them waiting, there was a knock at the door before it opened. A man with raven black hair and eyes a little deeper of an aqua from Cass’, he looked over both of the girls before setting his focus on the chart in his hand. “All right,” his baritone voice had a slight English accent to it, and Lily looked to Cass to see her almost drooling. She snickered. “Which one of you lovely ladies is Liliana… Liliana Eriksen?” There was a pause in his voice as recognition flashed in his eyes. “I… I am,” Lily answered softly. “C-Call me Lily.” Doctor Graves smiled kindly as Cass opened her mouth to speak. “I’m Cassandra, by the way.” He turned to her and his smile widened for a moment. “Well, two lovely ladies in my exam room. What are the odds of that?” Cass giggled in her hand and blushed, but instantly recovered. “Do you talk to all your patients this way, Doctor Graves?” Her head tilted slightly, her eyes teasing. “Only the pretty ones,  _ Cassandra, _ ” he replied, his own eyes mirroring her teasing. Lily wanted to groan, gag,  _ something _ . 

 

Instead, she politely cleared her throat. “Um, D-Doctor?” Her hazel eyes looked up to him. Good lord, he was tall. Broad framed, too. Attractive and intimidating, and his English accent was so similar to Cass, she could understand why her sister was making heart eyes at the guy. Adrian looked to her, his eyebrows raising briefly, as if startled. “Forgive me, Lily, but,” he leaned closer, staring directly into her eyes. “Your eyes. I’ve only seen such a hazel once, and such a rarity. Tell me, are you related to the Slade family, by any chance?” Startled, Lily backed away a few inches. “N-No,” she stammered quietly. “Why, um… why do you ask?” He shook his head as if clearing it, then smiled reassuringly. “No reason, my dear.” After he’d thrown a wink at Cass, he left briefly to retrieve the tool to cut the cast from her arm. While Lily’s eyebrows knit together in confusion, Cass sighed dreamily, and almost squealed. 

 

When Lily snorted, Cass smacked her arm, looking disgruntled. “Hey!” Lily rubbed her arm, gazing at her sister in confusion. “What was that for?” “For getting the cute doctor,” she pouted playfully. “How do you always do it?” Lily huffed. “You can have him. He scares me a little.” That time, Cass snorted, shaking her head in disbelief. “He’s mysterious, I think,” her voice even sounded curious. “Almost like a divine enigma, you know?” “Pfft, yeah. Sure thing, Cass.” A few minutes later, Adrian returned with the small saw to cut Lily’s cast from her arm, remaining gentle and professional with her. “All right, Lily, I need you to remain very still for me, okay love?” Lily bit her lip, nodding and holding Cass’ hand with her other. Adrian looked to both of them and went to work, speaking to Cass first. “Tell me, Cassandra, are you attending high school?” She nodded, almost enthusiastically, but calmed herself. “I am. I’m a senior, same as my sister here.” 

 

“Ah, I see,” Adrian had almost cut through half the cast, working his way down as he continued. “So that would mean that you are eighteen now, looking to go to college, correct?” “Oh! I already have one lined up! Music scholarship,” Cass was beaming, and Lily couldn’t help but smile. If it was one thing her sister excelled at, it was her cello skills. Adrian seemed impressed, cutting through the rest of Lily’s cast with steady precision. “I’m sure you’ll only have successes in your future, darling,” he assured her with a smile. As collected as she tried to keep herself, Cass couldn’t keep the dusting of pink from crossing her freckled nose and bit her lip, chuckling happily. “As I’m sure any patient in your care will receive only the best, Doctor Graves.” 

 

Removing the cast, Adrian’s smile widened as he set it aside. “Call me Adrian, love. And do give me a moment. Lily, I’ll be refilling your pain medication and filing your discharge papers. I’ll return shortly.” With that, he bowed his head and left the room. That was when Cass  _ did  _ squeal. “One little sweet nickname and you completely fangirl,” Lily teased, going over her now uninhibited arm, twisting her wrist and elbow, sighing happily. “Come on, baby,  _ look at him! _ ” Cass threw her gaze to the door and leaned in close to her sister. “He’s a  _ man _ , and he’s not pretending to be some little boy. He’s… he’s the total package.” “You only  _ want  _ his package,” Lily started laughing and Cass’ mouth dropped open. “You brazen hussy!” Her voice was just as light, taking on a tone of mock offense. The girls were giggling when he returned, with several papers in his hand. 

 

“Pardon the delay, darlings, it would seem the receptionists are feeling rather… peckish.” Lily shook her head as Cassandra did the same, yet giggled at Adrian’s apology. “We’re fine, doctor,” she promised with a pearly smile. “We didn’t wait long at all.” He smiled in return, then handed several papers to Lily, followed by handing one to Cass. Lily looked through, seeing the usual: discharge and the reason, prescription for medication, and a follow-up appointment. She was going to do her best to avoid that at all costs, even if he was listed as her primary physician now. Cass, meanwhile, was flustered, and Lily couldn’t figure out why at first. Then Adrian flashed a charming smile and bowed politely, telling the girls to take care and hoping to see them both under better circumstances. Once he’d left, Lily turned on her sister. 

 

“All right, ‘fess up, what’s got you so freakin’ red?” Cass, startled by Lily’s question, quickly tucked the paper away and led her out by her arm. “Come on, baby, let’s get you some food and I’ll explain on the way.” The girls almost dashed out of the door, quickly leaving the building and getting halfway down the block before Cass stopped, pulling that piece of paper from her pocket. “Look at this, Lils! He gave me his number! His  _ personal  _ number! And look! He even wrote a note with it!” She almost shoved the paper at Lily, allowing her sister to read it with rapt curiosity. 

 

_ Cassandra,  _

_    While I hope this isn’t too forward of me, I would truly love to see you again. Preferably, just the two of us. While Liliana is my patient, I hope we could develop a more personal relationship. I’ve written my number, in hopes that you’ll contact me soon. To hear more of that lovely lilt in your voice would soothe even my darkest dreams. Until then. Take care, darling.  _

_                                                                                                     Xoxo, _

_                                                                                                                Adrian _

 

Lily huffed, almost incredulous, and stared at her sister, her face deadpan. “My doctor…  _ asked you out?! _ ” Cass’ eyes widened and she became sheepish, shuffling her feet. “I… I won’t go for it if… if you don’t want me to, baby,” her voice was meek and low, and Lily instantly felt guilt. She was only surprised at the situation. Handing the paper back with a smile, she hugged her sister tightly. “If you’re excited, I think you should at least give it a try,” she rubbed Cass’ arms, still smiling. “You looked so happy, how could I tell you no? It’s your life and I want you happy. You deserve it.” Overcome with emotion, Cass threw her arms around Lily, squeezing tightly as a few tears rolled down her cheeks. “Oh, baby girl, thank you! But…” she sniffed, pulling back and brushing Lily’s raven hair from her face. “If anyone truly deserves to be happy, it’s you. You more than anyone.” Lily tucked her head down and gave a soft sigh as Cass wiped her own cheeks. “H-Hey, let’s… let’s go get some food, huh? I’m starving.” Instantly all smiles again, the girls linked arms and continued down the street. 

  
  
  


After walking a few blocks, taking in the sights and aweing at a few shops they wanted to visit, the girls found a little Mexican restaurant, boasting to have the best food in three counties. Looking to one another, they both shrugged. “Why not?” They said in unison, Lily insisting on getting the door since she no longer had her cast to interfere with daily activities. Inside, the place seemed to be a world of its own. The smell of cooking peppers and onions, different variety of meats and cheeses, seasonings and more filled the air. Brightly colored paintings of dancers and food adorned the walls in decorative wooden frames, seemingly breathing more life into the restaurant. Seats were black cushioned with red tables. The girls inhaled deeply, smiling widely at the entire atmosphere. And the music. Classic, Latin music played in unseen speakers. Salsa and Samba and other sounds in between, the girls were more relaxed the longer they spent inside. 

 

_ Abuelita’s,  _ the name was, with a smiling cashier inviting them to order whatever they’d like. Cass and Lily gave the cashier a beaming smile each in return, approaching with a bounce in their steps. “Welcome to Abuelita’s,” his accent was thick, a heavy Spanish, making it apparent to the girls that English was not his first language. “Greatest family restaurant in entire state! Would you like something?” Lily giggled, both of the girls nodding as their eyes looked up, taking in the illuminated menu. “I’ll have…” Cass spoke first, still deciding when she tapped Lily’s arm and nodded. “You know what you want already, baby? I’m still deciding.” She nodded, her hands on the counter and spoke softly to the cashier. “I-I’ll take the um… the beef enchiladas please? With a side of… of rice and some tea, if it’s not too much trouble.” The cashier smiled warmly at her and called back her order. “And I’ll have… the chicken chimichanga and some steak super nachos with rice and beans and a lemonade.” 

 

Lily’s eyes widened, but she snorted and laughed as the cashier was equally warm and friendly to her and called her order to the back as well. “Where do you put it all? Seriously?” “What?” Cass shrugged, taking out her wallet and paying. “I’m hungry.” “You’re  _ always _ hungry!” More laughter as they were given their drinks. “We bring food to you, please find a seat,” the cashier said, still smiling. As they took their seats, they sighed collectively and took in more of the atmosphere. Upbeat Salsa music began to play, both of them tapping their feet to the music when Cass nodded in gesture to the open space next to their table. “Let’s dance, baby. We’ve earned it.” Lily fidgeted nervously for a few moments, then looked over at her arm. Her  _ healed  _ arm. Unable to stop the reinvigorated smile from spreading, she nodded and slid her chair back, taking the hand her sister offered and moving to the clear area. 

 

Surprisingly, even after not attending lessons in some time, both girls remembered the proper moves, hips swaying to the beat as their feet kept the rhythm. Twists and turns as Cass took the lead, both of them laughing. “You know something,” Lily smiled as her sister lead, letting her follow, something she was used to. “I’m surprised I can still do this.” “Of course, you can, baby girl!” Cass exclaimed with a smile. Her brown hair and Lily’s black seemed to sparkle under the lighting, not noticing they were attracting an audience, too wrapped up in their happiness. “If anyone can do this, it’s you! We’re celebrating today!” Her slender arm wrapped around Lily’s waist, dipping her low as the two giggled. As they came back up, however, someone cut in. Well, not just someone.  _ Two  _ someones. Jason Starkweather and Fiyero Deamorte. Cass scoffed. 

 

“Do you two  _ want  _ a restraining order? Why are you following us?” Laughing, Fiyero’s arm was around Lily’s waist, pulling her to dance with him as Jason did the same with Cass. Lily flinched, albeit briefly. “Chill out, Freckles,” Jason twirled Cass and brought her against his chest, smiling down at her with that same, cocky smile he always wore. “We got hungry, stopped in, and saw the two of you looking really hot dancing together.” Another scoff from Cass, but the two continued dancing with one another. Fiyero had done the same, pulling Lily against him, but moved away from the two, his eyes solely focused on her. “You weren’t hurt earlier, were you, sweetie?” He was so charming to her, it was unnerving. No one ever paid attention to her, not the way he did. Cheeks dusted with pink and she shook her head, trying to control her breathing. “I… N-No, not… not at all.” She was surprised she didn’t lose her footing, Fiyero taking the lead and keeping his hands on some part of her the entire time. A brilliant smile from him and he twirled her, bringing her flush against his chest, their eyes connecting as he took her hand in his. “I… Is- is your car all right?” 

 

Fiyero laughed, causing her blush to deepen as she bit her lip. “My car is fine, darling, don’t worry about it. Weren’t you wearing a cast earlier?” Lily nodded, too nervous to look at him directly, but too entranced to look completely away. “I-I just had it removed.” Humming thoughtfully, he nodded and spun her, dipping her lower to the ground than Cass had, his face mere inches from hers. “And how does such a beautiful girl get to wear a bulky cast?” Pulling her up, Lily knew that if her face was red before, it had to be the same shade of crimson as Fiyero’s hair by now, almost choking at his compliment. “I… I, um… M-my arm… It-it’s a long story, um…” “Hey, it’s all right,” the two had stopped dancing, all of them catching the smell of food being brought out. Fiyero tilted Lily’s face up to meet his, a soft smile lighting up his face. “You’re all right now. Tell me soon though, okay, beautiful?” When he winked at her, it took every ounce of willpower Lily had in her not to bury her face in her hands. His own, meanwhile, were still around her waist, seemingly reluctant to release her. 

 

When she finally found the courage to look him directly in the eye, she was struck once more from the iridescence of them. They seemed unnatural, leaving her magnetized to the spot as his hands went from her waist to her hips. His face seemed to be getting closer as she drew shallow breaths when the clearing of someone’s throat broke her reverie. “Come on, baby, food’s here.” “Hell yeah,” Jason exclaimed. Both Fiyero and Lily turned their gazes to see Jason had pulled up a chair, sitting perilously close to Cass, eyeing both her and her food with avid interest. Lily tucked her head down as Fiyero backed away a few inches, but kept one arm around her, leading her to her seat. “Don’t even think about it,” Cass snapped, her fork ready to stab Jason’s reaching hand as Fiyero pulled the chair out for Lily. “I… Th-thank you.” Smirking, he pulled a chair of his own to their table, staying close to Lily and looking over her, content to touch her hair for a time before resting his arm along the back of her chair. 

 

“Pfft, a gentleman,” Jason snorted, still trying to navigate around Cass’ fork to grab a few chips from her nachos. It was weird. The only person able to touch her before had been Cass. How was Fiyero able to without her instantly pulling away from him? Well, she supposed the flinching might account for something, and he really was a good dancer. “You don’t talk much, do you, love?” Fiyero’s voice was in her ear, causing Lily to bite her lip and shake her head. “N-Not a lot, no,” she admitted softly. Chuckling, he inched closer, tilting his head to get a better look at her. “Hmm,” Fiyero unraveled her silverware from her napkin, handing Lily the fork. “Quiet and reserved? I like that in a girl.” “Don’t you dare,  _ Fiyero, _ ” Lily’s eyes snapped to her sister, to see Cass pointing her fork at him, ignoring the fact that Jason stole a couple chips. “Let her eat.” “Yeah dude,” Jason snickered, talking with his mouth full. “Girl’s gotta eat something that’ll actually fill her stomach.” Laughing at his own joke, a look of pained surprise crossed his face when Cass, red-faced, flicked his nose. “Manners!” 

 

“Ouch! What the fuck was that for, Freckles?” Jason rubbed his nose pointedly as Lily cut into her food, taking a small bite and sighing happily as her eyes closed. The food was delicious, and completely authentic from her guess. “For you not using proper table etiquette, you bloody savage.” As Jason and Cass bickered, Fiyero’s hand was on Lily’s back, softly as if testing to see if she’d flinch again. She did once, briefly, but relaxed and let him continue, his fingers tracing her spine. “Are you afraid of me, sweetie?” His voice was soft, welcoming. Lily fidgeted nervously and shook her head. “It’s… another part of that long story. It’s… it’s n-not you.” “I think most people are scared of you, Fi,” Jason again. By the looks of things, Cass had given up on trying to keep him out of her food, only meaning that there would be a big dinner tonight. “Considering how-  _ ouch! What the fuck?! _ ” Fiyero had kicked him, emerald eyes burning into sapphire blue.  _ What was that all about?  _ Lily, being new as she was, had no idea why Fiyero kicked Jason or what made people so afraid of him. It would be her luck that she’d find out the next week at school.


	5. Chapter 5

Getting rid of the boys was a task in itself. Cass seemed thoroughly irritated with Jason, to anyone else, at least. Lily saw the spark of interest, the way her smirk was more amused than sarcastic, her aqua eyes even glittered. Fiyero, on the other hand, was another matter entirely. She didn’t understand him at all. He spoke to her in a way she’d never experienced, a way that kept her creamy complexion several shades of crimson. Lily was sure her face was as deep of a red as his hair. “All right, that’s enough,” Cass’ voice broke her reverie, startling her enough to jump. Fiyero’s hand brushing across her back wasn’t helping either, like she’d been caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to. “You two, either leave first or we will. We’ve got things to do.”

 

“Hey, come on, Freckles,” Jason whined, his head falling back in protest before finding her sister’s aqua gaze again. “We were having fun. What’s the harm in that?” Exasperated, Cass sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose briefly. “The harm is you two are eating our food. Well, _you_ have been eating _my_ food. Not only do I have to make a bigger dinner now, but you’ve also cut our day short by this little charade of yours.” “Charade?” Fiyero looked away from Lily, emerald eyes seemingly confused as he tilted his head slightly, staring at Cass. “What charade was there to be had, my dear? There’s no harm in joining friends on a day out, is there?” Cass scoffed. “Friends? We’re not friends. You two don’t even know our names. Come on, baby. Let’s get a box for your food and we’ll go to that bookshop you liked looking at. Maybe even get you a new journal.”

 

Lily kept her head down, but slowly slid out from her chair, taking her plate and joining her sister as they approached the counter, the cashier already having a box waiting for her. “Thank you,” he smiled brightly at them and they nodded, smiling in return as he not only had the box ready, but packaged up Lily’s meal and handed it back. “Come see us again soon!” Jason opened his mouth to protest, but the girls were already out the door. “What do you think you’re doing?” Fiyero watched the girls leave, his eyes trained on Lily. Who was she, exactly? Definitely someone he wanted to have some fun with. The quiet ones always had the most interesting reactions to everything.

His voice snapped at Jason, getting his attention from Cass’ retreating figure, the blonde giving a smirk and a shrug. “What’s the matter, Fi?” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Afraid the wrong thing might slip?” “The only thing that’s going to slip is your tongue down your throat when I cut it from you.” “Damn dude,” Jason sighed, his blue eyes on Fiyero’s green ones. “Someone’s testy.” “Watch your mouth, Starkweather,” Fiyero leaned back in his own seat, propping his knee against the table as a wicked gleam danced in his smile. “Did you forget that little detail over the summer? The reason why you were arrested, and exactly _why_ it was covered up?” A muscle in Jason’s jaw twitched and he clenched his fist. “Don’t you fucking dare, Fi. I’m serious.” Unperturbed, Fiyero pushed his hair back and shrugged. “So am I. Watch your mouth.”

 

* * *

  
  


Shopping in a new place was an experience for Lily. Well, shopping altogether was. Before she left her parents and moved in with Cass, everything Lily owned was secondhand, given to her by instructors from her lessons or charity drives from hospitals. Cass decided to change that, buying Lily almost everything she tried on. Still discovering her own sense of fashion, she grabbed a few different styles, ranging from something her sister would wear to anything in particular. “Cass, I… I’m content to just wear what I have,” Lily protested from the changing room, staring at herself in the full length mirror. Wine red off the shoulder top with black yoga pants and flats. “Oh, stop that right now, Lils,” Cass sighed. “Just come out and let me see. My arms are already full from the stuff we’re getting. One more outfit won’t hurt.”

 

Lily stepped out of the changing room, shuffling nervously. She hated feeling like she was on display, always afraid she was doing something wrong. “Um, Cass? S-Say something, would you?” Cass had been sitting in one of the chairs, her eyes wide and mouth hanging open once Lily had come out. “Baby, you look absolutely breathtaking!” She made a frantic gesture and nodded vigorously. “Quick! Give me the tags! You’re wearing that home! Oh, red is _definitely_ your color!” While her sister was all smiles, Lily blushed, tucking her head down. “I… I can just change back into my-” “Don’t you even think about wearing those rags out of here! Come on, I insist! Give me the tags!” The urgency in Cass’ voice left her unable to refuse and she ripped the tags from the clothes, handing them to her and following her to the register.

 

“Will that be all for you today?” The cashier gave Lily and Cass a once-over, her smile both polite and approving. Nodding, the girls lay the clothing on the counter and were quickly out the door in minutes. “All right,” Cass exhaled a heavy breath, smiling as her eyes sparkled. “There’s just one more place we need to go, then the day is ours, baby!” Lily, blinking slowly, rubbed her eyes. “I just want a nap,” she groaned, her head falling back. “I do all this for you and you repay me by snoring,” Cass scoffed, giggling immediately after. Lily shoved her playfully, making a disbelieving sound before the two linked arms. Only a block further and the two found a New Age store, leaving with two bags worth of candles and finally heading home.

 

The moment the two stepped in the door, Lily dropped her bags of clothes beside the couch and threw herself onto the cushions, groaning in relief as she nuzzled into a throw pillow. “Nah ah, baby, put your stuff away and then you can relax.” Calm and motherly as ever, Cass smiled softly at Lily and shook her head, immediately taking the candles from the bags in her arms and placing them in various parts of the house. She even bought a few for Lily, setting them up in her room with care among her various nicknacks and picture frames. Mostly _empty_ picture frames. Feeling a knot in her throat as tears stung her eyes, Cass remembered the state Lily was in when she and her parents got her out of there.

* * *

  
  


_~Seven weeks earlier~_

 

Police tape and emergency vehicles littered the lawn of the double wide trailer belonging to the Eriksen family. Sirens of more various approaching vehicles. Cass had gotten a call not even an hour before from Lily’s house. Her parents never let her have a cell phone, and never let her make calls, so it was unusual for their number to show up on Caller ID. “H-Hello?” Cass answered shyly, curious and concerned. “C-Cass,” Lily’s thick, sobbing voice struck her ear, instantly sending her into worry. “Lily, what is it? What’s wrong?” A sniff, followed by a strangled sob before she answered. “M-My parents… my parents are really m-mad and I… C-Cass, help! Please help me! They- they’re coming after me!” Thick as it was, her voice was raising, almost screaming in its urgency. “Cass, please, they’ve got-” “And just who do you think you’re calling?”

 

Cass could hear the telltale sound of her mother’s voice before the line went dead. Not even bothering to put the line back on the receiver, she ran to her parents, shaking, her eyes stinging in panic. “Mummy! Daddy!” “Cassandra,” her father stood from his chair, concern etched into his face. “What is it, darling?” Setting his paper aside and removing his glasses, he made swift strides to his daughter and put a hand on her shoulder. Her mother was instantly at her side then. “Breathe, child,” she ushered in hushed tones. “Who was that on the phone?” Swallowing the knot in her throat, Cass broke down, telling them it was Lily and what she heard. Her father immediately pulled his phone from his pocket and called the local police.

 

When they’d arrived, a few officers were at the scene, one of them marking off the yard. Cass didn’t even wait for her parents’ car to stop, bursting from the door as soon as it slowed, her parents calling after her to wait, to slow down. She couldn’t slow down. Her best friend needed her. An officer stopped her. “Sorry, doll,” the guy was tall, dark hair and silver eyes. The name tape on his badge said Bennet. “I can’t let you through. It’s a crime scene.” Cass pushed him aside, her aqua eyes spilling with tears. “My bloody parents were the ones to make the call! That’s my best friend in there!” Without another word, she kept going, rushing through the door.

 

Lily’s parents were being arrested, but where was she? Every sound was magnified when she heard Lily’s sobs, her screaming setting her nerves on fire. “Lily! Baby! I’m here!” Running to the sound, she found herself at an open door, paramedics and officers making the tiny room even more cramped. And there, on the floor, was Lily, sobbing hysterically. Red marks were forming bruises along her neck, resembling fingerprints and something that probably was a belt. “C-Cass! Cass, it hurts! Help me! Cass, it burns!” Her entire body wracking with tremors, knees threatening to give out from under her, Cass left her body almost, approaching slowly as the paramedics and officers cleared a small path for her. She was on her knees beside her when she took Lily’s hand in her shaking one.

 

Television shows had nothing on the sight in front of her. One of Lily’s eyes was blackened, her lips busted, the corner of her mouth bruised. A paramedic beside her was setting her arm, wrapping it with tape until they could get her out. “What…” Cass swallowed, aqua eyes searching the paramedic’s brown ones. “What happened to her?” “Are you the one that made the call?” Swallowing the knot in her throat, she nodded. “My parents did, yes.” With a sigh, the man shook his head. “Not gonna lie, kid, this is one of the worst cases I’ve seen. Her arm’s been broken by blunt trauma, not to mention, she’s been strangled and whipped. You’ll have to hold her so I can bandage her back.” More tears escaped, but she nodded as Lily continued sobbing. Slender fingers in her hair, Cass tried to smile at Lily and sniffed. “I’m here, baby. I am so sorry for this.” Lily clutched her hand tightly, tighter than Cass thought she could, making her eyebrows raise briefly.

 

“I-I w-wanna go,” she cried, almost screaming again as the paramedic shifted, turning her on her side. The blood under her best friend sent her reeling. Head spinning, dizzy, Cass’ mouth opened and closed several times to speak and couldn’t. Lily’s shirt was torn, gashes covering her back. That was when she noticed her pallor. “She…” Finally finding the voice to speak, Cass’ voice wavered. “She’s got anemia and an iron deficiency. She needs a hospital. _Now!_ ” This time, it was her that screamed instead of Lily. Working as fast as possible, the paramedic had her bandaged as the officers left the room to allow two more paramedics to enter with a stretcher. In minutes that felt like an eternity, Lily was on the stretcher, being wheeled out of the home and to the ambulance. An EMT glanced at Cass. “Are you family?” “I’m her best friend,” Cass said as Lily was put into the back. Her parents were behind her in moments. “Mummy, daddy, can I go with her to the hospital? She needs me.”

 

Pursing their lips, they looked to each other, then nodded. “Sure, darling, but…” Her mother looked vastly uncomfortable with the scenery, not to mention the entire situation. She shook her head. “Never you mind, love, go with your friend. We’ll meet you there.” Instantly, Cass was in the ambulance, swiftly taking Lily’s hand with both of her own as the doors shut. If the scene at the Eriksen’s was enough to cause nightmares, Lily’s screams reverberating off of metal walls only solidified them. The EMT riding with them administered a shot, meant to stave off some of the pain and let her sleep. Those passing minutes in between only added to the eternal night Cass was going through. Gradually, Lily’s screams and sobbing ceased to sniffles and whimpers, then finally giving in to sleep entirely.

 

In the time it took to reach the hospital, the EMT was asking Cass questions. Some of what she assumed was normal procedure, and answered the best she could in her fragile state. The victim’s name… “Her name is _Lily_ ,” Cass snapped, her teeth grinding. “Not victim, not patient. _Lily. Liliana Ingrid Eriksen_.” Even if the EMT said he understood the situation, she knew well enough that he didn’t. The questions continued. Lily’s age, if she went to school, any other family in the area, if she knew Lily’s blood type, her physician… they were incessant, but if Cass was proud of one thing, it was her ability to remain polite, even if she wanted to tear the guy’s face off at his insensitivity. “She’s a year younger than me, advanced placement puts her in my graduating class. She has no other family close by, and she only talks to me. As for everything else, I can’t tell you, but she’s been hospitalized enough for her doctor to say.” The rest of the ride was silent.

 

In the hospital, Cass met with her parents, who were then told by a doctor for them to remain in the waiting room until they had any news. Holding both her parents’ hands, Cass fidgeted, then stood and started pacing. Every face that wore a medical badge was both a beacon of hope and fear. An officer arrived to speak to them as they waited, asking several more questions. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. “Officer, what’s going to happen? Where’s she going to go?” Shuffling a bit with a heavy sigh, the officer looked to her, then to her parents and back. “She’ll probably be a ward of the state and placed in foster care unless family were to take her in. Otherwise-” Turning on her heel, aqua eyes swimming, Cass took her parents’ hands again and squeezed them tightly. “Mummy, daddy, can we take her in? We have the room and we have more than enough money and she’ll be safe!” Both her parents sighed. “That’s a big decision, love,” her father sighed wearily. “Couldn’t we speak of this in the morning?”

 

“No, we can’t,” she replied firmly. “I can’t let her go with some member of family that might do the same or worse to her, and this is our final year of school!” “Officer, would there be any implications if the girl were to stay with us for a time?” It was her mother asking, and Cass’ eyes lit up hopefully. “Not at all, ma’am,” the officer replied. His shoulders seemed to sag with relief, as if he were given some kind of reprieve. “That’s probably the best bet for her right now, staying with someone she can trust. I would ask her, though, as she _is_ old enough by law to make the decision for herself.” Cass already knew what Lily’s answer would be, waiting almost eagerly for her to wake and ask her. However, the hospital decided that while Lily retained a broken arm and several artificial wounds, they would need to keep her for further observation, at least another day. Frustrated, Cass sighed heavily and nodded, leaving with her parents after listing their numbers to contact them when it was time.

 

Shaking her head at the memories, Cass left Lily’s room, finding her sleeping soundly on the couch, face buried in the cushions. It felt like years and days all at once, the adoption for Lily being finalized only three weeks before school had started. Keeping to silent steps, Cass picked up her sister’s clothes and put them away, sticking her enchiladas in the fridge once she was awake and ready to eat.

* * *

  
  


The same routine, every school morning. Wake up, shower, get dressed, maybe have a quick breakfast if she didn’t sleep in. Nothing out of the ordinary for Lily. School was still the same, bustling with activity. Talking between the other students, grumbling of being tired. Still situating herself and settling into her new environment, she kept her head down and only talked to Cass. “You brought your book, right, baby?” Cass’ head tilted slightly, watching her as she unloaded things into her locker. “Brought that and my journal,” Lily smiled, books to her chest once she’d shut the metal door with a clang. “All right. Good. Keep your mind busy while you have a free period. And _don’t_ let that Deamorte boy distract you! Everything I’ve heard about him reeks of trouble.” Lily snorted. “Yes, mom.”

 

As the two split in their separate directions, the bell rang, signaling everyone it was time for class. Double checking her books, Lily almost bumped into someone, apologizing profusely before she tripped, landing on her knees as her books scattered. “Damn it.” A simple mutter under her breath and she was reaching to pick each one up when a large hand held her journal out to her. Hazel eyes met blue and she was struck with recognition. Jas- no, _Jonathan._ It was Jonathan Starkweather handing her journal back, with a small grin and a glimmer in his eyes. “I… th-thank you.” “Not at all, darlin’,” his voice sounded too sweet, his fingertips brushing hers as she took her journal. “Glad to see your cast is off. Must feel a lot lighter, huh?” Lily bit her lip and gathered the rest of her things, keeping her gaze to the floor. “I… yeah, I-I suppose.” Things were silent between them for a moment. To Lily, it was more than awkward, it felt… it felt unnerving, almost creepy. Finally, Jonathan stood with a sigh and called back to her as he walked away. “Don’t be too late to class, doll. Gotta see more of that pretty face!”

 

With a shaking sigh, making sure he was really gone, Lily stood and shook her head. Why was Jonathan going the wrong way to class? Supposing it was none of her business, she straightened her books and moved down the hall, only to stop in front of the student lounge. A banging from inside startled her, causing her to jump, clutching her books to her chest. Followed by what sounded like crying. Was someone hurt? Ignoring any potential danger to herself, Lily put a shaking hand on the knob and twisted, opening the door silently as the students around her disappeared into their classrooms. Yeah, that’s not ominous. She peered through the small opening to see chairs knocked over, despite the room being in almost complete darkness. Someone sniffed, then Lily could swear she heard a small cry of pain. There was definitely someone in there. Her breath shaking as a knot formed in her chest, she pushed the door open enough to get in, shutting it behind her.

 

“H-Hello? Is… is someone in here? Are you all right?” Immediately, it became silent. Swallowing, Lily turned the light on, illuminating the lounge. A sharp gasp left her at the state of it: chairs thrown around, broken glass littering the floor, and coming from further in, the sound of footfalls, heavier than her own. And they were getting closer. Lily started to reach for the door, turning briefly, when a voice caught her attention. “Sending more lackeys to accomplish what you couldn’t, Starkweather?” Fiyero. Lily paused, turning to see that familiar crimson hair, almost disheveled, and bloodshot emerald eyes. They narrowed as they focused on her, and in less than four strides, he was on her, pinning her between him and the door. His arms were on either side of her head like a cage, causing her to tremble, hazel eyes barely meeting his green ones. “I… I heard a crash and… and c-crying and I thought-” “Thought what, love?” Fiyero tilted his head, suspicious of her. “You thought you could try and break me down when Jonathan Starkweather couldn’t even do it? Look at me.”

 

Another knot was quickly forming in Lily’s throat. Fiyero’s voice was biting in its harshness as he kept her pinned. His chest was heaving, pressing the books between them even tighter against her chest. “Look at me!” Lily yelped when he yelled, her eyes finally locking onto his. He smiled, but it was feral, cruel, like a predator analyzing its prey before it struck. “That’s better. Tell me the truth, darling, why are you here?” “I-I meant it,” she started, her breath quickening. “I-I heard a crash and… and when I h-heard th-the crying, I thought… I thought s-someone was h-hurt and… and I came t-to check. R-Really! Th-that’s all, I… I swear! I-I don’t… I don’t even f-feel comfortable a-around Jonathan.” Her eyes stung with tears as Fiyero continued to stare her down, still analyzing her. It was as if he didn’t even recognize her. Then again, no one ever really did. She was never important enough to remember.

 

A few tears slid down her cheeks as she averted her gaze, trying to control the visible shaking of her body. “Hey,” his voice had softened, his entire demeanor relaxing right before her eyes as he backed off. “Hey, I’m sorry. Please don’t cry. Pretty girls shouldn’t have tears in their eyes. I didn’t mean to frighten you.” Slowly, he gave her more space and Lily gazed up at him. It was as if someone had flipped a switch. Emerald eyes, once darkened with anger, had softened considerably as the softest smile graced his face. Fiyero cupped her cheeks, wiping the tears away. “What can I do to make it up to you, sweetheart?” “Um…” Lily’s voice wavered as she peered up at him, albeit hesitantly. Running his fingers through her hair, he kept that same soft expression, and it confused her. “Y-You don’t… you d-don’t have to do anything. I… I should have kn-knocked first.” He shook his head, his hands tracing her shoulders and the backs of her arms. “No, love, I scared you, and for that, I’m truly sorry. You were just concerned and looking out for another classmate, right?” Lily sniffed and nodded.

 

“Y-Yeah, um… I-I worry. About… about everyone and… and I know I shouldn’t, but…” Fiyero’s arm was draped around her shoulders, leading her to the sofa. “Let’s get you calmed down before you go to class, hm? Your nerves look shot, love.” Leading her to the plush sofa, he gently pried the books from her arms and set them on the table. “Thirsty?” Lily nodded softly. “A-A little,” she admitted. Fiyero went to the fridge, bringing a soda and setting it with her books. “U-Um… Can I… can I ask wh-why…” “Why what, darling?” “Wh-why y-you’re in here, all alone and… and y-you look like you w-were crying…” Biting her lip, hazel eyes searched emerald. It seemed they were both studying one another. Exhaling heavily, Fiyero was once again beside her, leaning back on the sofa as he rubbed his face. “Can you keep a secret?” That was odd. Why would he ask a question like that? Lily nodded and turned to face him better. “Yeah,” she softly replied, arms hugging herself. “Of course, I can. Why?”

 

Uncovering his face, Fiyero glanced at Lily and smirked. “Have you ever hated something about yourself so much that you would do _anything_ to get rid of it? Even at the cost of your health?” Her eyebrows knit with concern. She had her own fair share of secrets, that much was true, and while she didn’t like herself, Cass would kill her if she endangered herself in any way. “I-I’ve thought about it, yeah.” With no idea where the conversation was going, Lily patiently waited for him to continue, to elaborate. Finally, after a few moments of him staring between her and the ceiling, he spoke again. “I could have a flawless appearance and get signed with an agent in an instant if it weren’t for this wretched red hair.” Bitter. That was the only way to describe Fiyero Deamorte’s voice at that moment. Bitter and spiteful. Lily didn’t understand. She loved his hair.

 

“D-Don’t… don’t say that,” the softness in her tone seemed to counteract the bitterness in his, making him pause entirely. “What?” Clearing her throat, Lily tried again, her voice a little stronger. “Don’t say that about your hair. It… it’s really nice, and… and it looks really soft. It… I-I think it’s the prettiest shade of red I’ve ever seen.” The confession caused her cheeks to redden and she tucked her head down. Fiyero smiled and leaned forward, tilting her face to meet his. “You really think so?” “I-I do, and… and I-I don’t think you should change it. N-Not for some agent or… or whatever. If… if they can’t accept you for the way you look, th-then… then to hell with them. Y-You’ll find someone better to be your agent.”

  
Something passed through Fiyero’s eyes, his face relaxing and a more genuine smile graced his lips. Lily meant it, every word, but in that instant, she was spellbound. He really did have a gorgeous smile. Humming softly, he slid closer to her, leaving less than an inch between them. “You look familiar,” the bitterness was gone from his tone, giving room for curiosity, and something Lily couldn’t place. “Do we share any classes together?” Shyly, she nodded. “We… we do. All, um… all of our morning classes, actually, and I sit next to you for all of them.” A little realization clicked into place and he nodded, looking over her with interest. “New girl, right? What’s your name, sweetie?” Lily’s palms were sweating as she hugged herself, biting her bottom lip as she looked at him. “It… it’s Lily. M-My name is Lily.” “Well, Lily,” Fiyero closed the small remaining distance between them, his eyes never leaving hers. “Do you think I could ask a favor?”

 

First a secret and now a favor? Just who was this guy? But Lily nodded hesitantly. “Y-Yeah, sure. A-Anything.” “Anything?” His eyebrow raised, curious and fascinated, easing her arms from around her torso. “You’re smart, right? Like… genius level smart, I’m guessing.” She blushed, but didn’t speak and let him continue. “I was wondering if you could… tutor me. I’m failing classes and in order to make a real impression, I have to first be impressive. More than I am already, but, I think you know what I mean. After all, beauty and brains is hard to come by, and you were blessed with both.” Lily covered her face with her hands, trying to bite back the squeal in her throat. Fiyero chuckled and pulled her hands from her face. “I could make it worth your while. What do you say, Lily darling? Help a fellow classmate?”

 

“What, um… what do you m-mean you could m-make it worth my while?” It was a simple question, one that she thought could use an answer. She expected almost anything to come from his mouth. People were unpredictable, but Fiyero… he was the most unpredictable of all. Before another thought could register, his hand cradled the back of her head as he brought his face to hers, their lips meeting abruptly. Her first kiss. Lily blinked rapidly, thrown off, and saw his eyes were closed. Her own closed as his lips coaxed hers open, slipping his tongue between her lips as he leaned into her, backing her against the sofa. Her heart hammered in her chest, and Lily found herself wrapping her arms around him, drunk on something she’d never felt before.

  
Fiyero kissed her softly, continuously, wrapping his arm around her waist and holding her against him. Lily never heard the bell ring, too enveloped in… whatever this was to even notice. Either he didn’t notice either or he just didn’t care, it didn’t seem to matter. Their lips stayed connected, her brain in a haze of white noise. She never even noticed that someone- _two_ someones- had come into the lounge, seeing Fiyero almost on top of her. Slowly, the kiss broke and Fiyero’s smile was a gentle one as his eyes glittered. Stroking her cheek, he left another kiss, albeit brief, on her lips. “What do you say to being my girlfriend?” “Wh-what?” Thumb tracing her cheekbone, he repeated the question. “Do you want to be my girlfriend?” “I… I…” She couldn’t speak, nodding, all words leaving her when the sound of footsteps crunched on broken glass and startled them. Fiyero eased himself from her gradually, his gaze and hers finding the source at the same time. Jason Starkweather and Cass, both staring at them with wide, disbelieving eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

“Dude, you get to mack on one of the new chicks and I can’t even get a piece? What the fuck, bro?” Jason’s disbelieving comment had no effect on Fiyero separating himself from Lily. He moved languidly, like a cat, no shame whatsoever on his face. Lily, however, blushed furiously as she touched her tingling lips and straightened herself, unable to meet Cass’ eyes. She kept her gaze down when Fiyero took her hand, lacing their fingers together. “Something wrong with kissing my girlfriend?” Lily’s gaze immediately shot up, staring at him completely bewildered before her eyes finally found Cass. Her face was nothing short of confused, staring from her, to Fiyero, then to Jason and back again. She didn’t utter a sound. As Lily went to stand, to grab her books, Fiyero stood with her, taking her books as well as the unopened soda into his free arm, keeping their hands entwined. “Honey, you’re going to learn I’m not about to let you carry everything now that we’re dating.” 

 

He smiled at her, giving her a playful wink and nodded toward the door. “Shall we get to class, darling?” “Yo dude, hold the fuck up a minute,” Jason stood in front of the door, hands in front of him. “When did this shit happen?  _ How  _ did-” “We need to get you to class, Lily,” Cass’ voice was cool, her aqua eyes still puzzled, but she said nothing else, smiling softly, turning on her heel and leaving the lounge, Jason staring after her. Lily tucked her head down, knowing she was probably in trouble when Fiyero tilted her chin to look him in the eye. “Don’t fret so much, love, she’ll be fine. It’s second period now and I think…” He kissed her forehead before pressing his own against it. “I think I’m actually looking forward to classes for a change.” Jason opened and closed his mouth a few times before he finally found words. “Dude! Come on, man! What’s your secret? Not only are the two new chicks the hottest ones in school, you nab one after only their first week! How the fuck- what the fuck- just… fuck!” 

 

As Fiyero led Lily out of the lounge, keeping their hands laced together, his head was held high. Various passing students stared and whispered to one another. Jason followed close behind, shaking his head and muttering to himself. Lily started to let go of Fiyero’s hand when he squeezed it, softly, leaning his head toward hers. “Don’t be scared, love,” he murmured softly, bringing her hand to his lips, eliciting sharp gasps from various people and louder conversations and even more whispering. “And don’t be ashamed of the attention. You’re beautiful, darling.” Large hazel eyes searched his emerald ones as pink dusted across her nose. “I… y-you don’t-” “I mean every word, honey. Is that so hard to see?” Pink flush quickly became scarlet and Lily bit her lip, unable to speak. Leaning closer, lips to her ear, he whispered softly to where only she could hear. “And if I’m being honest again, seeing you blush is gorgeous in its own right.” A squeal caught in Lily’s throat, but no sound came out, much to her relief. They couldn’t get to class soon enough. 

 

Their next class was Chemistry, both of them together as, yet again, the teacher used alphabetical seating. Releasing her hand, Fiyero pulled Lily’s chair for her to sit down, lacing their fingers once more as he did the same. Giving her a soft smile, he rubbed his thumb over the skin, ignoring the whispers around them that seemed to follow from the hall. “They’re… they’re talking about us,” Lily whispered shyly, peering at him with nervous eyes. “Let them talk,” voice low, yet above a whisper, he spoke with confidence as if he wanted people around to hear him. “You’re my girlfriend and they’ll have to just deal with that, won’t they?” She nodded, still shy, but otherwise didn’t comment. Everything was still so new, she’d never even had any real friends before. Now, she had her first boyfriend, who’s already given her the first kiss she ever experienced. 

 

Lily could feel the stares of every student on her, their gazes burning. Did she make a mistake in agreeing to be his girlfriend? She wasn’t sure, but the gentle squeeze of his hand was calming, reassuring. As the teacher called the attention of the class, Lily noticed the work written on the board already, having taken notes over the weekend on every chapter. It never hurt to be prepared, after all. Fiyero noticed when she opened her notebook, making comparisons between that and the book, and put his head on her shoulder, watching her curiously. “You’ve taken all these notes?” She nodded, sliding the notebook between them so he could read too. “Y-Yeah, I um… I-I don’t like t-to fall behind, so I work ahead.” He smirked, kissing her cheek and keeping his head on her shoulder. While he didn’t look at his phone during the entire lesson, somehow, Fiyero managed to fall asleep in class. Nuzzling into Lily’s neck, she could hear him sigh, sounding almost content. 

  
  
  
  


The bell rang. Startled awake, he groaned and nuzzled into her further. “U-Um, F-Fiyero? C-Class is… Um, c-class is over. We can… we can go to our next one.” Fiyero turned his sleepy eyes to Lily, raising his head as a half-smile painted his face. “Hmm, I suppose we should, shouldn’t we, darling?” He stood first, gathering Lily’s books and offering his hand. Trigonometry was their next class, making Lily grateful she’d taken AP classes for this at her old school. Fairly uneventful, save for more stares and whispering, the class passed without incident. Fourth period, Music & Theory, was one class she felt she could relax a little in. Until they walked through the doors, still hand in hand. Instruments were out, and Lily felt her throat tighten. A keyboard. Hoping desperately she wouldn’t get called on to play, she tried to make herself as small and quiet as possible. Fiyero noticed. He seemed to notice more than she thought. “Is something wrong, honey? You don’t look good.” Biting her lip, she opened her mouth to speak when Mr. Stanton called the class to order. 

 

“All right, settle down,” Mr. Stanton clapped his hands together, allowing everyone to take their seats. Lily could still feel the stares amongst the excited whispering of the rest of the class and kept her head down. “You see the instruments I’ve selected. You know what that means! No paperwork in Theory, today is going to be a lesson in various musical styles and genres.” The whispering became buzzing, thrumming in her ears. It only accentuated the slamming of her heart against her ribs. Why couldn’t she get excited like the rest of them? Even Fiyero was smiling.  _ You can’t get excited because you remember what happened every time you botched a practice or recital at seven years old, don’t you, Liliana?  _ Eyes stinging, she clenched them shut, taking several deep breaths to calm her erratic heartbeat. Fiyero squeezed her hand gently, making her eyes open, hazel locking on emerald. “Are you scared, darling?” His voice was soft, concerned even. She laughed shakily and shook her head. “It… it’s n-nothing to worry a-about right now. J-Just anxiety, I… I suppose.” 

 

Pursing his lips, Fiyero cupped her cheek, his gaze searching. “You  _ can  _ talk to me, honey,” keeping his voice soft, he put his lips to her forehead. “Whatever it is. You’re my girlfriend now, you don’t have to stay silent.” Lily chewed her bottom lip, hesitant. “I…” “Oh, it seems someone used to play piano before joining us,” Mr. Stanton’s voice was a dagger, cutting right through her. Startled, she jumped as the attention turned to her. “Lily, I’ll be assigning you to the keyboard, all right?” A quick nod was all she could give, unable to look at anyone, especially Fiyero. “And… Mr. Deamorte, if you would be so kind as to grace us with vocals today?” Shoulders back, head high, Lily could almost feel the pride radiating from him. “How could I say no, Mr. Stanton?” The pride was evident even in his voice. She couldn’t help but admire and even be a little envious of that confidence. 

 

Setting their belongings aside, Fiyero took Lily’s hand, leading her to the keyboard. She shook, quaking with every step closer to that instrument. “Lily my love, it’s all right,” he stopped her for a moment, seeing the fear shining in her eyes. “Do you have stage fright?” A brief shake of her head, but otherwise, she didn’t speak. “Then…” “P-please,” her voice was a pleading whisper. “I… I promise I’ll tell you, just… just not now.” Fiyero bit his lip, scanning the room as everyone stared at them. He cupped her face and leaned forward, pressing his forehead to hers. “I’ll be there the whole time, okay honey?” Lily nodded and sniffed, trying to smile for him. A quick press of his lips to hers and he smiled. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Another nod and she took her place at the keyboard. Mr. Stanton approached, handing her sheet music. Exhaling a shaking breath, Lily swallowed the knot in her throat as she went over the piece, knowing it had to be school appropriate if someone was singing.  _ ‘You Raise Me Up’ _ . All right, that was one she knew by heart. She’d played it enough times to play it with her eyes blindfolded. 

 

Setting it aside, Mr. Stanton gazed at her quizzically, as did a few others. Even Fiyero. “Miss Eriksen, you’ll need that sheet music.” Lily sighed heavily, shaking her head and placed her fingers to the keys. “I… I know it by heart, sir. I-I’ve had to play it a lot.” With a faint smile, he signaled for her to carry on, then assigned the other students to various instruments. Each of them would have to take turns in playing something. As luck would have it, Lily and Fiyero were to go first. Swallowing once more, she played the opening notes, causing a few to stop and watch the two. It was easy enough to remember things, but the moment Fiyero opened his mouth and began to sing, Lily almost lost her place. Eyes wide, breath caught in her throat, she couldn’t think straight. He sounded like an angel. Her fingers seemed to know the piece on their own, and while she couldn’t take her eyes off of him, she continued to play. Emerald found hazel and Fiyero smiled, walking closer to her.  _ Good gods… at this rate, I’ll definitely screw up. Stay there!  _ The knot in her throat had doubled. He was right beside her, tilting her face to look at him as the song went on. 

 

As the song crescendoed, he was on one knee, brushing his fingers through her hair as if no one else was in the room with them. Lily felt at that rate, her brain would fry for sure. Finally, seemingly after an instant and an eternity, the song had finished. Everything was silent, and she was sure that the class could hear the slamming of her heart. Then, clapping. Mr. Stanton at first, then the rest of the class joined in. Soon, the room echoed with applause, even a few hoots and cheers. Fiyero stood, taking Lily’s hands and helping her to her feet. Her eyes stung. Positive attention was not something she was used to, making it almost jarring. Arms around her waist, he kissed her cheek, the smile never leaving his face as his eyes glittered. “I’ve never met anyone with that kind of skill, darling. I think Julliard would take you now if they heard you play.” She could have snorted in her disbelief. That was a dream forced on her by her parents. All she wanted to do was play one day when the nightmares weren’t so bad, and to write until her arms fell off. “I… N-No one’s ever said that to me before,” she admitted quietly.

 

“Honey, please tell me you’re joking.” A small, almost imperceptible shake of her head as they took their seats. As he started to take her hands again, Lily almost flinched on instinct. It wasn’t his fault, but she hoped he wouldn’t notice or comment on it. Fiyero sighed quietly. “Whoever didn’t make a positive comment at your ability should get their hearing checked. You play beautifully, love.” As the other students continued to mess around with the other instruments, Mr. Stanton approached the two of them, kneeling to speak quietly. “Lily, that was fantastic,” he smiled, patting her knee. Lily had to brace herself for the touch, reminding herself that not everyone was out to hurt her. “I’ve seen your transcripts, that you play piano and sing as well as dance. I would love it if you could play again for us sometime.” She managed a small smile. “I… I can try, sir.” Something passed through his eyes, his expression sobering for an instant, but it passed as quickly as it came. “I’ll take it,” his beaming smile was back full force as he stood. “I’m not sure whether it was fate or luck that brought you here, but you should consider signing up for the music program. Only when you’re ready to get back in the game, though.” Without another word, he returned to the other students. 

 

“Did something happen before, sweetheart?” Fiyero brushed a lock of hair from her face, searching her eyes with concern. “S-Something like that.” “Darling, if it’s too much to talk about, I-” “N-No, it’s okay,” that time, she took his hand, even shakily. “I-I promised I would tell you, I just…” Shaking his head, he took Lily in his arms. “Only when you’re ready, love. I will never force you to say or do anything you aren’t comfortable with.” All she could do was nod, burying her face in the crook of his neck and breathing deep, shaking breaths. How could one person be so accepting of her so soon? She didn’t understand, but still, her arms were around him too. “Th-thank you.” Another kiss on her forehead as he pulled back, giving her a half-smile. “You don’t need to thank me for that, honey. It’s what I’m supposed to do as your boyfriend, all right?” As she nodded, the bell rang. It was time for lunch. 

  
  
  


Cass was waiting for Lily, waving her over when her eyes landed on Fiyero. His arm was around her waist. Lily saw the way her sister immediately looked concerned, even a bit protective, but quickly masked it with a bright smile. “Come on, baby, I’m starving!” She giggled and shook her head. “You’re always starving. What are they serving, anyway?” “Probably nothing good, judging from the smell of it.” Fiyero’s nose was wrinkled, but Lily could hear his stomach growl. Biting her lip, she looked from Cass, then back to him. “If… if you want to leave and get s-something elsewhere, y-you can. I won’t… I won’t stop you.” He kissed her temple and pulled her closer, laughing quietly. “Only if I can take you with me, darling.” “I don’t think so,” Cass had one hand on her hip, eyeing him with suspicion. “There are still classes after lunch, in case you’ve forgotten. Classes we all have to be accounted for. And you’re not ruining her attendance record this early in the year,  _ Fiyero _ .” 

 

“Are you her mother? I’m sure Lily’s perfectly capable of making her own decisions. If she wants to go with me, I don’t think it’s up to you to stop her.” Tense, Lily stepped between them, taking Fiyero’s hand and Cass’, hazel eyes pleading to aqua and emerald. “B-Both of you, p-please, n-not now. C-Come on, I… I’m h-hungry and it doesn’t matter where we are. I just… C-Can we all sit together? Please?” There was a distinct distaste in Cass’ eyes when she looked at Fiyero, but, wanting her sister happy, she smiled and turned to enter the lunchroom. “I think where we’ve been sitting is still open, baby. And don’t forget your medicine, okay?” “I… all right.” Arm around her waist once more, Fiyero gestured to the cafeteria with a nod, but his eyes were questioning. “After you, my love. What medicine are you taking? Are you sick?” “Oh! N-No, I… I have an iron deficiency,” she explained quietly as he led her inside. “I… I bruise easily and… and I have to take iron tablets to keep my iron count up.” “Ah, is that all?” Lily nodded as they stood in line. “There’s a few others. Everything tastes like copper pennies after I take the iron ones, though.” She wrinkled her nose and huffed, making Fiyero laugh. It startled her at first, but… she had to admit he had a nice laugh. She could listen to it for hours if she were being honest. 

 

“What else are you taking?” It was an expected question, but it was also one that made her weary.  _ Still _ , she reminded herself.  _ He  _ **_is_ ** _ your boyfriend now… whatever that means. He should know. _ “I, um… I had a broken arm and… and I’m taking a downgraded dose of a pain reliever that I was originally prescribed. And I’m anemic from the lack of iron, s-so…” There was a glimmer of interest that sparked in his emerald eyes, but he made no comment on her medication. Instead, arm around her waist again, Fiyero kissed her shoulder. “Do you get cold a lot?” Surprised, Lily nodded. “Y-Yeah, how… how did you know?” “I’ve met one or two people like that, honey. It’s all right,” taking their now filled trays, he led her to where Cass was sitting, She was looking down, her shoulders shaking. At first, Lily thought she’d been crying until they were in front of her. Phone in hand, Cass was giggling, texting rapidly. “Who’s got you so happy?” Cass jumped, startled, quickly tucking her phone away when it chimed again. 

 

“Oh! Lily, baby! I didn’t hear you come up! It was…” She bit her lip, telling Lily exactly what she needed to know. “Doctor Graves? You’re really-” A tray plopped beside Cass’, causing her to jump again to see Jason Starkweather had joined them. “What’s goin’ on, Freckles? Thinkin’ about me?” Her sister’s face turned scarlet as her phone chimed again. Jason reached for her phone when she snatched it, leaning away from him to check her messages and started giggling again. Fiyero pulled a chair out for Lily to sit, her eyebrows knitted in confusion toward her sister. Jason, on the other hand, was peeking over her shoulder, reading the messages. “Who the fuck’s Adrian? A little bitch?” Cass scoffed, phone to her chest and smacked his shoulder. “Manners! And it’s none of your business who I’m talking to, so just… stuff your face or something.” “Who’s Adrian?” Fiyero asked, sitting beside Lily with a small smile. It seemed all three of them were amused the darker Cass’ face became. “My doctor,” Lily replied matter-of-factly, resting her chin in her palm. 

 

“Lily!” “What?” She asked innocently. “Am I wrong?” “I… that…” Unable to speak. Cass bit her lip, aqua eyes searching Lily’s hazel ones. “Don’t worry about me, baby, eat your food.” As she looked to her phone once more, Jason’s hand wavered behind her, fingers wiggling as he bit his lip. Lily knew what he was doing. He was going to snatch her phone, and he succeeded. “Hey! Has anyone ever taught you it’s impolite to take things that don’t belong to you? Give it back!” As she reached for it, Jason stood, holding it high enough to where she couldn’t reach and started reading the messages. “This fucker really lays it on thick, doesn’t he?  _ ‘A beauty to rival deities.’  _ Jesus fuck, Freckles, you’re hot, but makin’ a guy turn into a fucking poet…  _ Shit _ .” “Those messages are private, you overgrown lummox!” Cass stood on her chair, pulling at Jason’s arm to get her phone back. Lily and Fiyero were snickering as they watched, and Cass’ face was almost beet-hued. Her sister could see the attraction the two had for each other and wished that it had been Jason to get to her first instead of her doctor. The guy gave her bad vibes altogether. Lily shuddered when Cass snatched her phone back, Jason looking thoroughly kicked as he plopped in his seat. “What’s the matter, Jason?” Fiyero teased, rubbing Lily’s back. “See something you weren’t supposed to?” The situation was awkwardly silent for moments before anyone spoke, causing a knot to coil in Lily’s stomach. “What is it?” She finally wondered. Cass, officially embarrassed, hid her phone in her purse when Jason spoke. “Everything’s fuckin’ fine other than Freckles nabbing a date with the doc himself.” 


	7. Chapter 7

“What?! You’re going on a  _ date  _ with him now? Cass, I… I get the flirting. I do! But a  _ date _ ? H-How… it was only Saturday when you met him!” Cass opened and closed her mouth several times at Lily’s protest, unsure of how to respond. “Baby, he… it wouldn’t even be until this weekend, anyway, and this gives me a little time to get to know him more.” Lily groaned, covering her face with her hands when Fiyero moved his hand to her shoulder. “Then I’m sure you won’t mind Lily spending the evening with me.” Aqua eyes hardened as they narrowed at Fiyero. “Watch it, redhead,” Cass’ voice was polite but strained. “The date might not even happen, anyway.” “Like hell,” Lily groaned again, causing her sister’s mouth to drop. “Liliana! Language!” She said nothing, but slid her tray away and put her head on the table.

 

“Hey, half-pint,” Jason spoke across from her and Lily raised her head, gazing at him curiously. “You gonna eat that?” Pointing to her food, she briefly glanced at it and shook her head. “Knock yourself out.” “Lily-” She straightened, raising her hands in a surrender. “I’ll… I’ll eat at home, Cass. It’s all right,” Lily smiled reassuringly at Cass, seeing Jason scarf her food down in her peripheral. “I’m happy for you, really. Today’s just been a ride, that’s all.” Fiyero wrapped an arm around her shoulders and leaned her to rest her head on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, honey. If you get hungry, just tell me. I’ll take you out for a bite, okay?” Cass opened her mouth to speak, to protest, but Fiyero raised a hand. “And you shouldn’t worry either, Cassandra. She’s in good hands.” 

 

Cass scoffed, shaking her head, but otherwise didn’t reply. Lily knew something was bothering her sister, and it wasn’t just her outburst about snagging a date with her doctor. No, she knew it was about Fiyero. Lily hadn’t mentioned him much, but whenever she did, Cass always had a disgusted look in her eyes. What was it about him that she didn’t like? It became silent for a few moments, save for the smacking of Jason’s lips when Cass smacked his chest. “Would it kill you to chew with your mouth closed? Bloody animal.” He snorted, nudging her. “Only an animal for you, hot stuff.” “I… I think I’d like that,” Lily said softly, her hands fidgeting in her lap. “C-Cass, if you… if you go out this weekend, then… then why s-shouldn’t I spend time with- with Fiyero?” 

 

“See? She’s even agreed to it. So, go and have your date, I’ll take care of her.” Cass bit her lip, uncertain at Fiyero’s remark and searched Lily’s eyes. Finally, with a loud, heavy sigh, she nodded, tucking her phone away in her pocket. “Fine, but only for Lily. She’s never got to-” Fiyero tilted Lily’s face up, bringing their lips together and cutting Cass off entirely. Just like the first one in the lounge, he ran his fingers through her hair, continuing despite Jason groaning in protest. “Come on, bro! Fuck! You can mack on her at any time, but you do it when I’m  _ eating? _ ” Slowly breaking the kiss, Fiyero smiled at Lily before turning his gaze to Jason. “Considering you’ve dropped your pants in the middle of one of my parties and proceeded to-”

 

“Hey! You said you wouldn’t rat me out!” Fiyero shrugged, smirking and casting his gaze briefly at Cass, then back to Jason. “Then I suppose you can’t really interfere with what I do, now can you?” Other than a few incoherent grumbles, Jason didn’t reply. Looking to Cass, Lily could see the disgust and a touch of humor in her sister’s eyes. She already knew which was for who, and would probably hear about it later. Timidly, she leaned away from Fiyero, reaching into her bag for her medicine. Same as usual, one for her iron. She left the ones for pain at home. “Which ones are those, love?” Fiyero brushed his finger against her cheek, peering at the pills curiously. “Oh, um… they… they’re the ones for m-my… my anemia.” 

 

Cass had barely touched her food, fidgeting as if anxious to get out of there. “You don’t want to forget those, baby,” she softly stated, sliding her bottle of water to her. “You always get cold and sleepy when you do.” That prompted Fiyero to wrap his arm around Lily’s waist, pulling her closer in her chair. “Honey, I have a drink I can make at home that can help with that,” casting a side glance at Jason and Cass, he returned his focus to her. “Non-alcoholic. You… might not like the taste at first, but it grows on you.” Jason and Cass stared at him, puzzled, as Lily bit her lip and peered up at him. “You would… you would do that for me?” Chuckling, he kissed her forehead and ran his fingers through her hair. “Anything for you, sweetheart. I  _ am _ your boyfriend, and I’d be a pretty lousy one if I didn’t take care of the most beautiful girl around.” 

 

Blushing, she tucked her face in her hands and turned into his chest, a squeal threatening to rip from her throat. Clearing her throat, Lily regained some composure and fidgeted. “Can I, uhm… can I ask… wh-what’s in it?” “Only good things, I promise, but… if you’re really curious, it’s a mix of pomegranate, grape, and cherry juices along with some other ingredients.” Slowly, she nodded, her eyes brightening with a small smile. “I… I would really like that. What, uhm… what can I do to make it up to you?” “There’s nothing you need to make up to me, darling,” Fiyero kissed her cheek as the bell rang, standing and offering his hand. “You’re already my girlfriend, not to mention, the best looking tutor I’ve ever met, so…” Lily giggled and took his hand, standing as Cass and Jason stood with them. 

 

“Cass, are you… are you all right?” “Hm? Oh, yeah,” she nodded quickly, giving her sister the impression that she really wasn’t as okay as she pretended to be. “I’m fine, baby. Let’s get to class.” Neither of the boys seemed to notice, but Lily saw the different emotions fleeting through her aqua eyes. Not wanting to draw attention to the situation, she kept quiet, letting Fiyero lead her from the cafeteria to her next class. Everywhere they went, people were staring, and she saw he had this swagger to his step, that half smile that seemed to stay on his face the entire time. “Well, well, if it isn’t the lovely Lily…” A southern accent caught her attention and she jerked her head toward the sound. Jonathan. She felt Fiyero bristling, removing his hand from hers to wrap around her waist, bringing her closer. 

 

Jonathan, on the other hand, seemed bewildered, looking from Fiyero to Lily and back again before he recovered, approaching the two of them. “How ya doin’, doll? This guy botherin’ ya at all? Need me to handle it?” Lily shook her head, fingers twisting in Fiyero’s shirt. Jonathan left her more unnerved than her own doctor. “He-he’s my boyfriend, J-Jonathan. H-He asked m-me to be his g-girlfriend this… this morning.” He held Lily to his frame, turning her away from Jonathan. “You heard the girl, Jonathan, so you can either shave your back or tend to those goats you love so much.” Not giving him a moment to recover, Fiyero led her down the hall, turning a corner before stopping. Lily was shaking. “Hey,” fingers brushing her cheek, he prompted her to meet his eyes. “Hey, sweetheart, are you all right? He’s an oversized idiot, but he’s not going to hurt you. Not while I’m here.” Lily nodded, exhaling slowly.

 

“I… O-Okay, um… he just… he m-makes me nervous.” Something flickered in Fiyero’s emerald eyes as he pulled her into an embrace, kissing her temple. “Where’s your next class, love? I’ll take you.” Pulling her schedule from her pocket, she opened it and glanced it over. “I have… Creative Writing next. You don’t… you don’t have t-to take me if… if you really don’t want to. I-I know y-you’d probably rather be elsewhere.” Hazel eyes hesitantly peered up to meet his emerald ones. Fiyero bit his lip, something passing through his eyes as he embraced her again. “Honey, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” nodding toward her class, he smiled softly. “Are you ready?” Lily nodded, letting him take her to class, but instead of going to his own, he went in with her, sitting down beside her as she took her seat. “Do you… do you have this class too? I’ve… I’ve never heard your name called.” 

 

Laughing quietly, Fiyero took her hand and laced their fingers together. “No, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have my schedule changed.” He winked, ignoring their classmates as they all filed in. Even her teacher, Mrs. Jones, stared at him in bewilderment. “Mr. Deamorte, this isn’t your class. I suggest you get to your own before you’re late.” Rolling his shoulders, he straightened in his seat and shrugged. “I’m not too comfortable in that class and this one caught my interest,” batting his eyelashes, he leaned forward, rubbing over Lily’s knuckles with his thumb. “You don’t mean to stifle my creativity, do you, Mrs. Jones?” The teacher sighed, biting her lip in guilt. “No, I… I suppose not. Keep the PDA to a minimum then, Mr. Deamorte. Word’s already traveled our new student is your girlfriend.” 

 

It continued that way for the rest of the day. Each class Lily had that was different from Fiyero’s, he stayed with her, and his reasoning was always the same, that he’d change his schedule. After classes had ended, he walked with her to meet up with Cass. “Hey baby! You ready to go?” Cass bounced up to her, taking her hand and walking Lily to the exit. Fiyero held her other hand and pulled her back. “A thought, love: Why don’t I take you home? There’s enough room in my car for the two of you, and it would save on bus fare.” “We  _ can  _ walk, Fiyero,” Cass replied bluntly. Bringing Lily’s hand to his lips, he left a kiss on her knuckles, brushing her cheek softly. “It’s your decision, my princess, but I would hate for you to make yourself tired over the trip.” Lily bit her lip, her focus bouncing between the two. 

 

“At… at least th-this once,” eyes pleading, she looked to her sister. “P-Please, Cass?” Uncertain, Cass shifted her weight, sighing heavily. “All right, baby, just this once. And if you don’t like it, you can always say no.” Satisfied, Fiyero wrapped his arm around Lily’s waist, guiding her outside with Cass in tow. His Maserati gleamed under the sun, wine red glittering with each ray of light hitting it. “Your car… is-is really nice.” “Ah, it was my dad’s,” he replied with a smile, opening the passenger door and pushing the seat forward for Cass. “But I made him realize this was more my speed than his.” Lily tucked her head down, her half-smile amused as her eyes glittered. 

 

Just as the seat was put back for her to sit, Fiyero turned her to face him, running his fingers through her hair. “I thought I would lose my mind if that took another minute,” he sighed, closing the distance between them. “I’ve been wanting to do this since this morning.” As he leaned closer, about to bring their lips together, a cacophony of high-pitched giggles interrupted him. Lily, Fiyero, and even Cass had turned to the sound, finding not one, not two, but three girls dressed in enough pink to be mistaken for bubblegum. One of them, a blonde, waved coquettishly. “Hey, Fi,” she dragged out his name, rather the shortened version of it, as she twirled her finger in permed curls. Fiyero flexed his jaw. “Can I help you, Amanda?” 

 

She was even chewing gum, her lips smacking as she bounced to him, almost shoving Lily out of the way to get his attention. “I was just wondering if you had a date for the Welcome Back Bash this year and thought… you should go with me.” Lily’s heart slammed, a knot rising in her throat as she bit her lip and looked away. She could already feel Cass’ anger radiating through the metal of the car. Fiyero chuckled, reaching for her hand and bringing her to his side, directly in front of this Amanda. “Did that bleach get to your last brain cells, sweetie, or did you not get the memo?” Arm around Lily’s waist, he kissed her cheek, nuzzling into her hair for a moment before straightening. “This is Lily, my girlfriend. As the queen of Big Mouths around here, you should have been one of the first to know that I asked her out this morning.” Hazel eyes wide with worry, Lily hid her face in her hands as Fiyero turned her to his chest and kissed her forehead.

 

Amanda scoffed, her foot stamping in pre-tantrum before she recovered, a wicked smile showing all too white teeth spreading like the Cheshire cat. “Really? Then does that mean I won’t get to see you as much? Or can you ditch her long enough to spend the night with me?” Something akin to poisoned fire burned through Lily.  _ How dare that bleached tramp talk about me like that! He’s mine, you filthy bitch!  _ Immediately appalled at her own thoughts, she realized that it was possessiveness on her part and felt shame. They’d only been a couple for less than a day, it was wrong to assume anything more. “You know, Amanda honey,” he rubbed her back comfortingly, tracing small circles up and down her spine. “Maybe if you put daddy’s credit card to good use and had a bit of plastic surgery that actually benefit you, you wouldn’t have so many people using you, then talking shit behind your back.”

 

Even Lily laughed, quietly, her shoulders shaking as Cass cackled in the car. Amanda’s face, red with rage, contorted into a sneer. “I bet she’s not even really your girlfriend!” Fiyero chuckled, dark and deep in his chest, then tilted Lily’s face to his. “Suit yourself, Amanda, but what person, guy  _ or  _ girl, has ever kissed you like this?” And he brought their lips together, tenderly but filled with so much fire, her legs became weak. Arm around her waist, his other cradled the back of her head and he backed her against his car. Tongue brushing her lower lip softly, Lily gasped but complied, running thin fingers gently through crimson tresses. When the kiss broke, cheers from other students, even Amanda’s friends could be heard all around them. 

 

“That was  _ hot _ ,” one of her friends, cocoa complexion and a model’s face, smiled in approval, her shining teeth matching her beauty. Lily could swear her face was scarlet kept her gaze down when he tilted her chin up to meet his gaze. Fiyero winked and kissed her forehead again, keeping his arm around her. Amanda looked positively livid, attempting to storm away when he called back: “Here’s an idea for your next operation, Amanda: a smaller mouth!” Amanda screeched, blonde curls blowing behind her as she stamped away in rage. Fiyero turned his emerald gaze back to Lily, apologetic and embracing her. “I am so sorry sweetheart. Forget about her. I don’t cheat, all right? I never have. She’s just jealous, that’s all.” Nodding, she found herself wrapping her arms around him too and inhaling his cologne. “D-Don’t… don’t apologize. You… you didn’t do anything wrong. And… and besides, what you said was funny.” 

 

Genuine laughter escaped then, and Lily reveled in that sound. It was rich, musical,  _ beautiful _ . She wanted to hear it again. “I guess the truth can be sometimes, huh?” Smiling down at her, he brushed her cheek softly and kissed her nose. “Let’s get you home, darling.”

 

* * *

  
  
  


Ever the gentleman, Fiyero turned his music down and took Lily’s hand as he drove, mindful of the speed. “I’m surprised, Fiyero,” Cass said from the back, leaning forward. “Last time I saw you in this death trap, you were speeding like no other.” “The last time, I didn’t have precious cargo,” he explained as he rubbed Lily’s knuckles. The music on the radio was something hard rock, something Lily found herself enjoying. “Who is this on the radio?” Her curiosity and sense of comfort had her speaking without the stutter, glancing at Fiyero before tucking her head down. “Oh, if you don’t like it, I can change it.” “N-No, wait,” thin fingers gently squeezed his hand and she shook her head. “I… I like it, actually.” Flashing a pearly white smile, he relaxed in his seat, squeezing her hand back. “All right, love. Whatever you want to listen to, just tell me.” 

 

“Lily baby, you actually like this stuff?” “Y-Yeah,” she admitted quietly. “I’ve been… I’ve been trying to um… try new things since…” Lily trailed off, and while Fiyero looked at her curiously, he didn’t press for details, and Cass didn’t continue the conversation. Instead, she pat Lily’s shoulder and reclined in the back seat, guiding him every so often on the turns to get to their house. The lush greenery entwined in the archway was a clear giveaway that they were there. Well, almost. Lily perked up, inhaling the scent of flowers she and Cass grew on their own. Hand tightening in Fiyero’s, she smiled softly at him, hazel eyes glittering as her focus was out the window once more. 

 

Minutes later, they were parked in front of the house. Fiyero left his seat, opening the door for Lily and Cass, lacing his fingers with Lily’s as the girls led him to the door. “Cute place,” his comment didn’t go unnoticed by the girls, but it was Cass that replied. “Not all of us are so keen on showing how much money we have, you know.” Chuckling, he wrapped his arm around Lily and nuzzled into her hair, kissing her crown. “I’m just saying, it’s cute. You can probably fit three of these in my home, at least.” Scoffing, Cass unlocked the door and stepped inside, kicking her shoes off upon entry. “Did you… did you want to come in?” “And spend more time with the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid eyes on? Darling,” Fiyero sighed, smiling and kissing her cheek, nodding to the door. “I couldn’t dream of anything better.”

 

“Don’t forget, Lils,” Cass commented from the kitchen. Lily and Fiyero had just sat on the sofa together and started flipping through channels when she called. “You still have some homework to get done.” “So do you,” Lily called back as Fiyero put his head on her shoulder. “And you’ve got more than I do!” “Yes, well, yours is just as important.” Sighing, both nervous and deflated, she leaned back on the couch, brushing her fingers through crimson tresses as she continued to flip through channels. Fiyero swore under his breath, exhaling heavily. “This doesn’t… this doesn’t bother you, does it? M-My fingers in your hair?” Eyes closed, he nuzzled into her neck, arm wrapped around her. “Mm, not at all, love,” his voice was thick, sleepy even. “I think this is the first time anyone’s ever done this for me.”

 

Lily’s eyebrows knitted in confusion. No one ever ran their fingers through his hair? Were they stupid? “What? But… but you’ve got the prettiest and softest hair I’ve ever felt in my life and… I-I really like it.” She felt, rather than saw, him smiling, arm coiling around her in a half embrace before straightening himself. When he took her hand, Lily stifled a yawn. It really had been a long day. “Your hands are cold, darling, almost like ice. Are you all right?” “Hm? Oh,” pink dusted across her nose and she nodded. “Y-Yeah, it… it’s part of my anemia.” Clicking his tongue sympathetically, Fiyero kept his arm around her, neither one of them focusing much on the TV. Try as she might, Lily couldn’t keep her eyes open. She fell asleep with her head on his shoulder.

 

Pulling her across his lap, he kept his arms around her still, watching her sleeping face with a small smile. She smelled nice, different than what he was used to, and she really was beautiful. More beautiful than he’d seen in a long time, or at all. He wanted to be around that beauty for as long as possible. Cass came into the room, expression thoroughly flustered as her eyes fell onto the couple. Lily, nestled in Fiyero’s lap, curled to him with her arms wrapped around him, and Fiyero, watching her sleep and running his fingers through her hair soothingly. When he noticed Cass’ entry, he put a finger to his lips, making her roll her eyes. Of course, she knew Lily often took naps because of her anemia and left the room, returning moments later with a blanket. 

 

“She gets cold easily,” she whispered, draping it over the two of them. “As her boyfriend, you need to know.” “And as her boyfriend, I’m going to help her.” Cass didn’t remark on his statement, brushing it off as she glanced at her sister’s sleeping face. “You know,” she sighed, sitting in the armchair, elbow in her palm. “She doesn’t usually let anyone touch her. She doesn’t like it. It scares her and she flinches. What makes you so special that you could do it the first time you met her?” Shrugging, his emerald eyes focused on the woman sleeping in his arms, the soft smile creeping back onto his face. “What happened to her?” “That’s not my tale to tell,” there was a sadness in her voice and while he noticed, Fiyero didn’t comment. “Just… treat her right. She’s been through enough.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is shorter than before, and for that, I greatly apologize! I promise the next one is going to be longer!

Lily woke in her own bed, hazel eyes opening to meet clear emerald ones. “I… I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean-” “Shh, it’s all right, love,” Fiyero’s voice was quiet as he stroked her cheek. “Cassandra explained enough to me.” Rubbing her eyes, she nodded, groaning sleepily. “What, hm… what time is it?” “Just before six, darling.” That meant dinner would be ready soon. “You mean, you stayed the… the whole time? But you didn’t…” “Didn’t what, love?” Tilting his head, Fiyero seemed confused. Lily cleared her throat. “Y-You didn’t have t-to… to stay. Um… y-you c-could have gone h-home if… if you wanted to.” A sympathetic hum sounded in his chest and he pulled Lily to his frame, clever fingers dancing along enticing curves. 

 

“And disappoint my darling girlfriend? Never.” Fiyero kissed her crown and she wrapped her arms around his torso. “W-Would you… would you stay for dinner? C-Cass is a really good cook and… and she always makes enough to feed an army, so I thought-” His lips were on hers, cutting off whatever else she might have said. As much as he wanted to run his hands over every part of her, it wasn’t right, and just from her shyness, he knew she was a virgin.  _ Not until she’s absolutely ready _ . The kiss broke slowly and Fiyero rubbed his nose against hers. “I’d love to have dinner with you, sweetheart.” Hazel eyes glittered and she smiled, giggling and curling closer to him, her face in the crook of his neck. “Th-thank you.” 

 

Leaning over her, he almost brought their lips together again when a knock sounded on her door just before it opened. “Dinner’s almost ready, baby, if you-” Fiyero pulled away slowly, letting Lily sit up. “Hmm, what… what are we having?” “Chicken Parmigiana, so you need to wash up and get ready,” Cass’ voice was almost sing-song, dancing to music she had playing in the kitchen. “So tell your boyfriend you’ll see him tomorrow, okay?” “W-Wait,” rubbing her eyes, she stood from the bed, leaning forward to lace her fingers with Fiyero’s. “I… I asked him to s-stay… f-for dinner, I mean.” Something briefly passed through her sister’s eyes, quickly masked with a smile and a nod as she turned back to the kitchen. “That’s fine, baby, but don’t forget your homework.” “Yes, mom,” Lily blushed and tucked her head down as he sat up. 

 

“Is she like that with you all the time?” Fiyero pulled her into his arms, rubbing her back. “I… well… s-she takes care of me. Um… it-it’s a long story and I…” Standing, he embraces her, keeping her to his chest. “Honey, if you don’t want to tell me, I-” Tears stung her eyes, but Lily shook her head and sniffed. “N-No, I… I do, it’s just… it, um…” Fiyero kissed her forehead, squeezing her just a little tighter and let his forehead fall against hers. “Shh, it’s all right,” still soothing her, he watched as Cass peeked at them passing by. Concern and protectiveness etched into her features and she paused, her aqua eyes meeting his emerald ones. “It’s all right, sweetheart. I’m here. I have you, darling.” Cass went about her business as Lily nodded, smiling at him softly. “Thank you… f-for being patient with me. Most people… most people just expect me to just…” 

 

“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I lost patience with my girlfriend, hm?” Stepping back, Fiyero took Lily’s hand and bowed, kissing her knuckles. “Shall we eat, princess?” Speechless, face the color of wine, she nodded as her breath caught in her throat. He kept his arm around her waist as they entered the kitchen, even pulling out a chair for her like he’d done at lunch.  _ One day. It’s been all of one day. He’s not like this in school or with anyone  _ **_in_ ** _ school. What the-  _ A kiss on her cheek brought her out of her thoughts and she tucked her head down, face still flushed. “What class did you have homework in again, baby?” Cass set her plate down, fixing one for Fiyero as she called from the stove. “Um… Creative Writing, I think. And I promised Fiyero I’d help him with his grades, too, so I-” 

 

Cass had set down Fiyero’s plate, her shoulders squared briefly before bringing it to him. “As long as he does his own work,” her aqua eyes locked on him, hardened and focused. “You will, won’t you?” “Yeah,” completely relaxed, he leaned back in the chair and rolled his head, arm draped over the back of Lily’s seat. “Of course, I will. I just need her to walk me through it.” No one else could pick up on it, but Lily could see Cass didn’t trust him at all. She just thought he needed a chance, everyone did. When he took her hand, she smiled, Cass joining them moments later. Her sister’s general demeanor had shifted, not as easy-going as she was trying to be. That meant a talk was coming later. 

 

Lily barely touched her food when she slid her plate back, still getting into the rhythm that she wasn’t being starved anymore, but still completely full. Fiyero was halfway through his when he noticed, eyeing her with concern. “Darling, aren’t you going to eat? You didn’t eat lunch today at all.” Shifting nervously in her chair, she nodded. “I… I will. It-it’s just…” “Does this have something to do with what was bothering you earlier?” He straightened, completely focused on her as he set his fork aside. She nodded again when Cass spoke. “Now is not the time. Let’s finish our food, all right?” But Fiyero wasn’t paying attention to her. Instead, he took both of Lily’s hands, his thumbs rubbing over her knuckles softly. “Whatever it was, you’re safe now, okay honey? You don’t have to tell me if you’re not ready to.” 

 

Confused, Lily bit her lip. “I… O-Okay, I-I’ll tell you, I p-promise. I just…” Cass watched the two of them, but didn’t speak as Fiyero kissed Lily’s forehead. “Take your time, princess. Come on, your sister’s right. Try to eat a little more, okay? For me?” Emerald eyes pleading, he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and she nodded, pulling her plate back. His hand moved to her leg to let her eat comfortably. After dinner, he was the one to gather the dishes, taking them to the sink and rinsing them off, much to Cass’ surprise. “I thought you wouldn’t know how to do a dish,” she teased with a glimmer in her eyes. He laughed quietly, turning and leaning against the counter. “Just because I have a maid doesn’t mean that I don’t know how to be polite. Besides, the food wasn’t bad.” Lily had gotten up to grab a washcloth, wiping the table down when he came up behind her, arms around her stomach and kissing her shoulder. 

 

“I could have done that for you, love.” “I… No, it-it’s all right,” she spoke softly, leaning forward to finish up and straightened. “Y-You’re a guest, s-so it’s not right to have you clean up after us.” “Still,” Cass was loading the dishes in the washer, closing it and turning the dial. “Good manners are good manners, and I’m impressed the rich boy has any.” Fiyero was still chuckling to himself when he turned Lily to face him, tilting her face up to his. “We’ll worry about my work later, darling. Right now,” he placed a deep kiss on her lips. “Right now, I have to go home. I promised I’d have that drink made for you and it takes time to make. I do hope you can forgive me for leaving early.” Blinking slowly, she nodded, hazel eyes dreamy after he’d kissed her. “I… I’ll walk you to the door.” 

 

As Lily took him to the door, Cass watched with protective eyes, getting closer once her sister stepped outside with him. Door shut, Fiyero put a hand on her hip and drew her closer, running his fingers through her hair. “Are you… are you sure you can’t stay any longer?” He sighed, pressing his lips to her forehead. “I’d love to, darling, but I also know I have to take care of you. I can pick you up in the morning, if that makes up for it?” She nodded, giggling quietly. “I… I’d like that.” He smiled, one that made her breath catch and pink dust over her nose. “Then it’s a date. Speaking of, talk to your sister, see if she’s still going on hers. I’d love to spend more time with you.” A louder giggle and, hesitantly, she wrapped her arms around him. “I would, too. I-I’ll talk to her.” Chuckling, he brought their lips together, backing her against the wall of the house as he deepened the kiss.

 

Nipping her bottom lip, he laughed when she gasped, cradling the back of her head as she held onto him. Fiyero pulled away slowly, letting his forehead rest against hers. “I’ve never seen anyone quite so perfect,” his voice a whisper, he pressed his lips to hers once more, briefly, then pulled his phone from his pocket. “But I still need your number, princess.” Lily instantly turned crimson, pulling hers out as well and handing it to him. “G-Go ahead and put your number in there. C-Can I… can I do the same with yours?” Flashing a pearly white smile, Fiyero winked and gave her his phone. “I’d be insulted if you didn’t, darling.” She put her number in with shaking fingers, admiring how new and sleek his phone was. Returning their phones to one another, he tapped a few times on the screen.

 

“Just a second, love, I need a picture.” “What? I-” A shutter clicked from his phone and he smiled. “You’re beautiful, sweetheart. Can I be greedy tonight and ask for a few more?” Blushing furiously, Lily tucked her face in her hands, barely able to recover. “I… Y-You really want m-my picture?” “How could I not? You’re perfect, honey.” Wrapping his arm around her, he held the phone in front of them, pouting at the camera. “Please?” Giggling, she nodded, putting her hands over his arm. “Y-Yeah, I… that’s fine.” Fiyero snapped several photos of them, most of them involving his lips on hers or her cheek. Finally, he nuzzled into her neck, making her laugh and snapped the camera again. The photo centered completely on her, smiling brilliantly in her laughter. Her first genuine photographed smile in… Lily couldn’t remember how long. 

 

Stopping for a moment, Fiyero sighed with a contented smile, leaning his head against hers. “I think that one might be my new wallpaper, you absolutely  _ shine  _ when you smile, honey.” Biting her lip, a squeal stuck in her throat and she tucked her face in her hands. Sure enough, a few more taps and his wallpaper changed from what looked like red and gold to her smiling face, even adding a heart sticker just over where her heart would have been. “There, now I have a reason to smile when I open my phone.” Leaving a peck on the side of her neck, Fiyero turned Lily to him and kissed her forehead once more. “I’ll see you in the morning, love. Sweet dreams.” She stood on her toes, kissing his cheek. “I… okay, um… I-I’ll see you then.” With a wave, he blew her a kiss, smiling bright and went to his car, pulling out quietly. 

 

Her own smile was bright and wide as she went back inside, softly closing the door behind her. “You really like him, don’t you?” Cass’ voice startled her and she blushed, shifting her weight. “I… um, m-maybe? It-it’s only b-been a day and-” “And he’s got his lips all over you, touching you, too! Lils, I…” Cass trailed off with a sigh, catching herself and inhaled a deep breath. “I just want you to be careful, all right? We’ve only been here for a week and I’ve already been hearing things about him. Bad things, baby.” Hazel eyes met aqua and her hands twisted in front of her. “He… he needs a chance, Cass. E-Everyone does. And I… I know wh-where you’re coming from. I’ll be careful. I-I promise.” Smiling softly, her sister wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tightly. “That’s all I ask for. I love you, baby.” Hugging her back, Lily sighed after her. “I love you, too.” 

 

_ “We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you this urgent news bulletin.”  _ Separating slowly, the sisters looked to one another, confused, and took a seat on the sofa. Local news, but still, they usually kept up with what went on around them.  _ “At six thirty-seven p.m., the body of a young female had been discovered in Raven’s Hollow, on the outskirts of Route 16. The body has been identified to be nineteen-year-old Lucy Alcott. More details at ten.”  _


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forewarning ahead of time: This chapter is a long one!

Lily and Cass stared raptly at the television, then back to the clock. A body? “Raven’s Hollow is the forest just a few miles away from here,” Lily murmured, hands clasped in front of her. “I know,” Cass nodded and chewed her lip, worry creasing her brow. “Maybe it’s just… maybe the girl overdosed?” Even through her hopeful question, neither of them believed that was the case. Lily bounced her leg, nervous, as her sister went to the kitchen to fix tea for the two of them. Both fidgeted, unable to focus on anything, anxious as they waited for the news to come back on. 

_ “Back to our top story,”  _ the anchorman was on the screen and Lily called back. “Cass! It’s on!” Quickly, the sisters were on the couch, watching with bated breath as the news continued.  _ “At six thirty-seven p.m. this evening, the body of one nineteen-year-old Lucy Alcott was discovered in Raven’s Hollow, just off of Route 16, three miles outside the city. The victim appears to have suffered blunt force trauma to the head, as well as lacerations to her scalp and a broken leg. Authorities have determined this to be a homicide, investigation is ongoing.”  _ A photo was shown of the girl before she’d died. Black hair and brown eyes, friendly smile. “She was so pretty,” Cass said absentmindedly, eyes locked on the screen when Lily’s phone chimed. A text from Fiyero. 

_ Honey, I just saw the news. Are you okay?  _ Lily swallowed, seeing her sister look at her phone in her peripheral. “It… it’s Fiyero,” she tucked her head down sheepishly and sent a reply back.  _ I think so, just rattled. Did you have problems getting home?  _ Instantly, her phone chimed.  _ A little traffic, but I’m home now. I’m about to get your drink ready for the morning, but I needed to make sure my girl is all right before I do. I miss you.  _ 😘 She couldn’t stifle the smile nor the giggle that left her lips when she heard Cass scoff. “Even sent a kissing emoji? Like he didn’t do enough of that on our porch?” Lily cast a pleading glance at her, biting her lip. “P-Please… please be nice to him, Cass. He… he’s been really nice so far.” A sidelong glance and a sigh, and she nodded, her shoulders relaxed. “All right, but only for you. I still don’t trust him.”

With a smile and a hug, Lily sent a reply back as Cass went to finish their tea.  _ I miss you too. So… I’ll see you in the morning?  _ As she switched channels, trying to find something less macabre for them to watch, her phone signaled with another text.  _ I’m counting down the minutes, my love. I want to see you before you go to sleep. Send me a selfie?  _ She blushed, hiding her face from no one in particular as she sent a message back.  _ I… I’m not good with taking pictures of myself.  _ She hated taking selfies, only due to the fact that she never liked the way she looked and hoped he would understand.  _ The camera loves you. You’re so beautiful, sweetheart. I’ll even send one too, so… please, honey?  _ An instant later, there was another message with an attachment. Lily hit the download button and was greeted with Fiyero’s smiling face. And he was shirtless. 

Face crimson, Lily bit her lip and settled on a cartoon to take their minds off recent events and mulled over sending a photo.  _ I… all right, but please don’t make fun of me for it.  _ Pointing her phone at an angle, her eyes barely met the camera with a shy smile and before she could chicken out, she forced herself to send it. Fiyero instantly sent several messages back.  _ I’m having trouble deciding what I want my wallpaper to be now. Darling, you’re perfect. I miss you even more. Morning can’t come soon enough.  _ More bashful giggles as Cass returned with two mugs of piping hot tea. “Here we go, green tea with spearmint and lemongrass for you, and then we have mine.” Lily curled her lip playfully. “That bitter shit again.” Wide-eyed, mouth agape, Cass smacked her sister’s arm lightly. “Liliana Ingrid Eriksen, watch that mouth of yours!” Both giggled and Lily sent one more text to Fiyero.  _ I’m missing you and knowing I’ll be seeing you before I even get to school makes me want to wake up in the morning.  _

 

* * *

 

Two hours before her alarm was even supposed to go off, tapping sounded on Lily’s window, rousing her from sleep. “Mmh?” Glaring green from her clock said it was just after four in the morning. The tapping continued. She thought nothing of it at first until she remembered the body that was found the day before. Heart slamming, she pulled the blankets off and tiptoed to the window, wearing a t-shirt and her underwear. More tapping and she could see little pebbles. Lily bit her lip and unwillingly glanced out the window, to see who or what was causing the sound. The air and tension rapidly left her when she saw it was Fiyero, standing beside his car. The moment he saw her, he dropped the pebbles, gave her a half smile and mouthed  _ ‘Can I come up?’  _ From biting her lip to chewing it, she opened the window. 

“Cass is asleep,” Lily projected her whisper enough for him to hear, thankful that they lived far enough away from the noise of the city. “I don’t know if I can let you in without waking her.” “I’ll climb, honey,” he called back, going to the trellis below her window. “I couldn’t sleep anymore. I missed you too much. And hey, look! I brought your drink!” Fiyero pulled a water bottle from his hoodie pocket, shaking it in the air. Looking back to her bedroom door, she shifted her weight nervously and looked out the window again. “I… all right, but… but let m-me get my pajamas.” He nodded, kissing the air in her direction. Rushing to her dresser, Lily pulled the only pajama pants she had from the drawer, black satin. After quickly putting her legs through and over her hips, she was at the window again, beckoning him up. 

Fiyero was like a cat, climbing the trellis with little to no sound as Lily waited nervously on her bed. She saw his hands first, gripping the sill before poking his head up, greeting her with another dazzling smile. “Hey honey! You know, this is the first time I’ve ever done something like this.” Tensed, she moved to the window to help him inside. “Shh… p-please don’t wake up Cass. She- she’ll kill me if she sees you in my room so late.” Holding his arm, she watched as he silently maneuvered his way through her window, standing with that same smile before he cradled the back of her head, bringing their lips together. “I couldn’t help myself, love,” his tone was soft as he stroked her hair, tucking a lock behind her ear. “I tried to sleep and I couldn’t. With the girl they found, I wanted to stay with you and make sure you’re okay. Oh! Here, try this. I wanted to see if you liked it or if I needed to change anything.” 

Reaching into his hoodie pocket, Fiyero pulled a flask from his pocket and Lily bit her lip as he handed it to her. “Th-there’s no alcohol in it, right?” Emerald searched hazel and he kissed her forehead before taking a seat at the edge of her bed. “Oh, honey no. Cross my heart, the only stuff in there is juices and some natural ingredients to help boost your iron levels. Come here, sweetheart.” Setting the flask on the bed, he held his hands out to her, beckoning her to him. Slowly, Lily took his hands, but instead of sitting beside him like she’d planned, he pulled her into his lap with a teasing smile, wrapping his arms around her to keep her close. “This doesn’t bother you, does it, sweetheart?” If it had been anyone else, Lily would have flinched and pulled away on instinct. With him, she didn’t, and she didn’t know why. It made her more comfortable around him for reasons she couldn’t understand. She shook her head. “N-No, it… it’s fine.”

“Good,” Fiyero kissed her cheek, grabbing the flask and holding it up for her. “Would you try this for me?” With a shaking breath, she nods, timidly taking the flask and unscrewing it. Instantly, she smelled fruit, smiling slightly. “It-it smells nice.” “There’s… cherry, pomegranate, and grape juice in it as well as a couple others. I think I added peach juice to it too.” Lily perked up, still sleepy, but managed a better smile. “I really like peaches and cherries,” she said softly and brought the flask to her lips. Tilting it back, different flavors burst in her mouth. Different fruits and something metallic. Probably from the flask. It tasted almost like a smoothie and she drank it quickly. Eyes bright, she met Fiyero’s gaze with a glittering one. “This… this is really good! You made this?” The look in his eyes was pure focus, watching her raptly before she spoke. When she did, he seemed to come back to himself, blinking a few times and returning her smile with a kiss. “Of course, I did, sweetheart. It’s my job to take care of you, right?”

Flustered, Lily tucked her head down, running her finger around the rim of the flask. “Y-You don’t… You don’t have to, um… I-I mean… you can… you c-can do whatever you want.” Humming thoughtfully, Fiyero ran his fingers through her hair. “And if I say that I want to?” “I… Um…” A short laugh and he gently took the flask and cap, screwing the lid on and setting it aside. “Come on, honey. You should get some more sleep. I can go home and pick you up when it’s time for school. I’ll leave the juice here with you so you can drink it again later.” Lily bit her lip and held his arm, realizing she didn’t want him to go. “W-Wait. Will you… will you stay with me? It… it’s only a couple hours and- and it would be a waste of gas for you to just have to come back later, so I-” Cut off with a gentle brush of his lips on hers, he smiled softly and held her closer. 

“I’d love to stay.” “And… and y-you said you couldn’t sleep much, so… so y-you could sleep a little more too.” Fiyero smiled, easing her from his lap and kicking off his shoes. To Lily, they looked expensive, and judging by his car, they probably were. Taking his coat off, he draped it over the chair at her desk, and she saw he was tired, as if he hadn’t slept yet at all. Concern knitted her brow and when he was close enough, she took his hand on instinct, bringing him to sit with her. “Did you… h-have you slept at all tonight?” Slowly, he shook his head, giving her a sleepy smile. “Th-then… then lay down, o-okay? M-My alarm is set, s-so you can rest a little.” He hesitated and Lily’s concern overpowered her shyness, her hands on his shoulders and eased him back with her. “Y-You need to sleep. Please.” Fiyero laughed quietly as they lay facing one another, fingers brushing her cheek. “All right, love. For you, I’ll get some sleep.”

Lily smiled softly, slowly bringing her trembling hand to his hair, running her fingers through it. “Hmm, it really is softer than I thought.” Not realizing it, she spoke without stammering, and Fiyero put his hand over hers, kissing her wrist. “I was thinking the same thing, darling.” He winked, causing her to blush and continue with his hair. “I-I meant it, a-about your hair. It-it’s beautiful. Please… don’t change it.” Something flickered in his eyes before he closed them, a heavy sigh as he swore under his breath. Bringing himself closer to her, Fiyero rested his head close to her chest, letting her continue when she traced his cheekbone and jaw, keeping his arm around her waist. With his fingers tracing her spine and hers threading through his hair, the two fell asleep holding one another in minutes. 

 

* * *

 

A brush against her cheek. Soft, barely there, but enough to make Lily open her eyes and see Fiyero smiling tenderly. Pink dusted across her nose and she bit her lip, bringing her hand to cup his cheek. He turned into her touch, leaving a deep kiss on her wrist. “Good morning, darling. Sleep well?” Humming, she curled closer to him, nodding against his chest. “Mhmm… still sleepy.” Chuckling, he leaned back and tilted her chin up. “If you want more sleep, love, then go ahead. I’ll stay with you the whole time.” She smiled, but shook her head softly. “I… I can’t… School.” A teasing smile made his eyes glimmer. “I could help you wake up, if that’s what you want.” “H-How?” Several thoughts ran through her mind: helping her get breakfast, drinking coffee with her, but not one of those thoughts were close to what he’d planned. He connected their lips, eyes shut, keeping her close against him. 

Fiyero hummed in the kiss, hand running down her side and resting on her hip. Fingers threaded through his hair when he pressed against her, laying Lily on her back as he hovered over her. His grip tightened slightly, the kiss becoming fervent when he nipped her bottom lip, inciting a gasp. His tongue met hers, coaxing and dancing when he hummed again, gliding his hand up, along her dips and curves, wrapping around her back. Warmth enveloped her and she held on tighter, her free arm around him. The sound of a throat clearing startled Lily, breaking the kiss and whipping her head to the sound. Cass. Dressed in her yoga outfit, arms crossed with an unamused expression as she saw Fiyero on top of her sister. Catlike, he slowly turned his head, shifted to her side, keeping an arm around her, not breaking eye contact with Cass once. “Lily, baby, it’s time for our routine. Get dressed and meet me out in the garden,” with a sideways glance over her shoulder, she called back to her sister’s boyfriend. “And you can make yourself useful by getting off of her now.”

Without another word, she left, and Lily’s face was crimson. She knew she was in trouble. Eyes trained on the door, Fiyero clicked his tongue and sat up, bringing her up with him. “Does she like you or something?” “What, um… what do you mean?” Wrapping his arm around her, he sighed and put his head to hers. “I mean, does she want to be your girlfriend?” Lily choked and shook her head. “N-No, she… she’s my sister.” He kissed her temple and removed himself from the bed, grabbing his shoes. “Really? But you two look nothing alike. Unless… you’re…” Emerald met hazel, questioning as she bit her lip and nodded hesitantly. “She… h-her parents adopted me. O-Over the summer. Um…” She inhaled shakily, her eyes stinging and wrapping her arms around herself. “Honey,” ignoring his shoes, Fiyero was instantly back on the bed with her, holding her and kissing her forehead. “Honey, I… I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“N-No, you… you didn’t. I-I promise. I just… d-don’t have m-many good memories.” Or any, really. Not until Cass and her parents adopted her. A tear slipped from Lily’s cheek and he wiped it away, lips to her forehead again as his eyebrows knit together in worry. A sigh escaped the two of them when Fiyero leaned back, brushing her hair from her face. “Well, then as your prince, I should help you make some new ones then, hm? Would you like that?” A choked laugh escaped and she nodded, wrapping her arms around him. She couldn’t see how Fiyero’s eyes darted all over her room, noticing the photo frames with stock images or the ones with solely her and Cass. Recent, she had the cast on her arm in all of them. After a few minutes, he stepped out, allowing her some privacy to change and join Cass.

Green eyes took in her form slowly as she stepped out. Calf-length black leggings that hugged every inch that it covered, accentuating her hourglass figure, and a sports bra, exposing her midriff and arms, and her hair tied back in a messy bun. Resisting the urge to bite his lip, his gaze never lost the ‘come hither’ stare when he approached. “I… I’m sorry, I… I’m not used to anyone but Cass seeing me in this. It-it shows a lot of skin and… and-” “And you’re absolutely stunning, darling,” arm around her waist, Fiyero pulled his phone from his pocket and turned on the camera, snapping a photo of them together. Her skin was so  _ soft _ , he wanted to keep his hands over her just to go over it all, but he unwillingly let her go. Lily stood on her toes and kissed his cheek, heading outside to join Cass. 

Outside, Cass was already starting, unrolling her mat and playing tranquil music when Lily grabbed her own, tossing it beside her sister’s. Flowers and ivy grew everywhere, almost everywhere the eye turned had no spot that wasn’t green, turning yellow with the upcoming autumn. “Are you joining us or are you just going to stand there?” Lily turned to see Fiyero leaning against the side of the house with a small smile, eyes on her when Cass called out. “C-Cass, only… only if he wants to. H-He doesn’t… he doesn’t have to.” “I’d love to,” he called back and made his way to Lily, wanting another reason to snake his arm around her waist. Cass clicked her tongue. “And baby, remind me later that you need some new yoga clothes.” 

“H-Hey, wait! These… these are comfortable and… and I can’t do that split with the others.” Cass pursed her lips when her phone chimed, interrupting the music. Quickly checking, her aqua eyes lit up as a wide smile spread over her face. “What… what is it?” Hazel questioning aqua, she waited for her sister to finish her message and answer her. “It,” she cleared her throat, composing herself as she set her phone down. “That was Adrian. He asked me if I still wanted to go out with him this weekend.” Lily’s hand instinctively grabbed Fiyero’s in her worry. “And… and what did you say?” Cass noticed and sighed, giving her sister a reassuring smile. “Baby, it’s okay. Adrian wouldn’t hurt me. We decided to give it a try, see if we connect.” Hesitantly, she nodded, Fiyero giving her side a gentle squeeze. “Then I’m taking her out while you’re with this doctor. Wait…  _ how _ old is he?” 

At that point, it was Lily who sighed and bit her lip again. “H-He’s twenty-three, it said so on my medical bracelet.” “Right,” Cass replied, starting first. Lily and Fiyero joined as she continued. “So he’s only five years older than me and already a physician. Do you know how brilliant that is?” Lily closed her eyes, exhaling a long breath. “And I won’t forget your birthday either, baby.” “I’m not worried about my birthday,” they switched poses as the conversation continued. “It’s not for another two weeks as it is. I-I just don’t… I don’t… feel comfortable.” “Do you want me to cancel?” Lily stumbled and fell, grateful neither her sister nor her boyfriend laughed. “What?” Cass straightened, and sat on her knees. “Do you want me to cancel the date?” Picking herself up, Fiyero helped her dust off as they focused on Cass. “I… N-No, not if that’s what you really want.” Aqua eyes shimmered happily and her smile widened. With the conversation over, it was time to finish up and get ready for school.

 

* * *

 

All week, it seemed the only thing on people’s minds and lips was the body that had been found in the woods. Jason Starkweather, on the other hand, was more focused on fighting with Fiyero. “I don’t get you, dude,” he snapped at lunch, stabbing the food on his tray. Lily was sitting between them, quietly eating as Fiyero kept his arm around her. Cass had gone to the bathroom and insisted she stay and eat. “Not only did you get to sleep in bed wi-” Fiyero flexed his jaw, cutting him off. “I suggest you keep your opinions of my girlfriend’s body to yourself, Starkweather.” Jason put up his hands. “Fine, fine. Whatever. My point is that you got to see not one, but _two_ hot chicks, in _yoga clothes,_ bro! They were doing _yoga_! All the bends and twists and fuck you.” Lily snorted and Fiyero chuckled. “What? Now you even got her laughing? Man… this shit is fucked.” Picking her head up, with a teasing glimmer in her eyes, Lily pointed her fork at him. “When’s the last time you took your head out of your ass?” 

Confused, Jason’s eyebrows knit together and crossing his arms over his chest, he tilted his chin at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Shrugging, she finished her bite of food. “I dunno, I just meant that all you’ve done lately is talk shit, so it’s hard to tell where your head ends and your ass begins.” Fiyero burst into a fit of laughter as Jason scoffed, but grinned. “You got some bite, half-pint, I’ll give you that.” Cass returned, seeing Fiyero doubled over and hugging Lily closer. “What’d I miss?” Hazel eyes glittering, her sister smiled as she sat down. “Nothing much,” her voice was chipper as she feigned innocence, knowing Cass would kill her if she swore. “Other than her talking shit to me, nah, you didn’t miss a damn thing, Freckles.” Lily flicked a piece of corn at him. “Traitor.” Surprised, Cass’ eyebrows rose, but she smiled. “I’m glad you seem a little more comfortable, baby.” Mouth full of food, all she could do was nod when Fiyero kissed her temple. 

“Oh,” finishing her food, Lily slid her tray away and took out her phone. “Um… F-Fiyero was wanting to take me out during the day Saturday, but… but I told him you needed help picking a dress out for the date, s-so I thought… I thought that maybe… maybe we could all go out? T-Together?” “Haha!” Jason clapped his hands, rubbing them together. “You mean I get to see sexy Freckles changing? Fuck ye- OW! What was that for?” Cass smacked the back of his head, her lips pursed. Try as they might, Lily saw the attraction between both of them. “Watch your mouth! And get your mind out of the gutter, you bloody cretin. And only if you want, baby.” Turning back to Lily, she gave a small smile, but she could see the excitement in her aqua eyes. 

After lunch, Cass went to her next class when Jason stopped Lily and Fiyero. “Half-pint, wait up!” Turning, she sees the tall blonde running toward her, his blue eyes nervous as they darted around the hall. “Wh-what?” “Hey, uh,” He rubbed the back of his neck, shifting his weight. “You and, uh, Freckles are pretty tight, right?” Fiyero kept his arm around her, both of them tilting their heads. “She’s my sister, I-I guess we are.” “Look, you gotta help me. I know she’s got a date with the hot shot doc, but I gotta get her to at least look at me like I’m not a piece of shit.” Hazel met emerald, both confused and turned back to Jason when she sighed. “You’re not… you’re not a bad guy, Jason, but… m-maybe you could try doing something nice for her? L-Like, I don’t know… M-maybe… maybe leave her flowers or something? She likes cherry blossoms. They’re her favorite.” Deep blue eyes lit up, sparkling and he perked up. 

“Flowers! Fuck- yeah! Yeah, I could do that! Ah, shit! How would I even get em to her?” He was almost dancing when he stopped, pushing his hair back. Lily chewed her lip, thinking. “Oh!” Shifting her books, she pulled her notebook out and tore a scrap of paper from it, scribbling quickly with her pen. “Here. This… this is her locker combination. But so help me, if you rat me out, I’m going to take your knees out from under you.” Jason took the paper eagerly and shoved it in his pocket, running for the exit. “Thanks, half-pint! I owe you one!” “Come on, sweetheart,” Fiyero kissed her cheek, then her temple. “Let’s get to class. As much as I’d love to take off too, I know it’s important to you.” 

 

* * *

 

Friday, Jason wasn’t at school. “He probably decided to skip,” Fiyero sighed. “At least he’s not begging me for a ride again.” Fingers laced with Lily’s, they walked with Cass to her locker, already having their own books. “Honey, let me carry those for you.” “I… I can… y-you don’t have to-” Without letting her finish, her books were in his arm and he kissed her cheek. “Baby, let him be a gentleman,” her sister started putting in the combination to her locker, glancing at the two. “For  _ once  _ in his life. And you said he probably wasn’t your type.” Lily’s eyes widened and she looked away, her face scarlet. Fiyero chuckled and kissed her temple, then put his lips to her ear. “Sweetheart, I’m everyone’s type.” Cass snorted, but grunted with the effort of opening her locker as Lily regained her composure. “Why won’t this bloody thing open? It’s like there’s something stuck in there!” 

“C-Cass, did you need some help?” Her sister shook her head. “No baby, save your energy. Even with that drink Fi’s been bringing you, you’ll still get tired easily.” With a sigh, Lily nodded, Fiyero hugging her closer. “Did you want me to do it?” “Thanks, but no thanks,” Cass replied, setting her books on the floor and trying again. “I can get it.” She grunted and pulled, then tried her combination again. Finally, after a few tries of pulling, the metal door of her locker slammed open, banging against the one beside it. Their mouths dropped open. A flurry of pinks and whites were in the air and on the floor as Cass pulled out what looked like a branch, littered with cherry blossoms. “What the bloody f-” Cutting herself off, she stared at Lily and Fiyero. Fiyero was in hysterics, laughing so hard that tears streamed down his face. Lily’s hazel eyes were wide, caught between surprise and wanting to laugh. Jason left her a branch of cherry blossoms. 

“Who… baby, do you know anything about this?” Instantly, Lily tugged on Fiyero’s hand, pulling him to class. “Gotta get to class! I’ll see you later!” Knowing she’d hear it later, she couldn’t help it. With Fiyero still laughing, they finally managed to get to class. She had to come up with something as to why she took off. Her only question: how much of it would her sister believe? Sensing her unease, Fiyero kept his arm around her, hugging her to him. “Relax, sweetheart,” still smiling, he put his forehead to hers. “If you’d rather see her with Jason over your doctor, then something will come of it. But I still don’t understand why  _ Jason  _ of all people.” Lily bit her lip, squeezing his hand briefly. “I-I don’t know… I just… I have a really bad feeling about him,” with a groan, she put her head on the desk. “I probably sound crazy right now.” “No,” his fingers brushed her cheek, pulling her hand back to get her to sit up. “No, honey, you don’t. I believe you. We’ll keep an eye on everything. Would that make you feel better?” She nodded, half smiling. “Th-thank you.”

 

* * *

 

Saturday morning, Lily was woken by someone putting their arms around her and nuzzling into her neck, leaving kisses along the vein. Fiyero. “Hmm… m-morning,” opening sleepy hazel eyes, they met smiling emerald ones. “When… when did you get here?” “Just a few minutes ago, honey,” he kissed her forehead, leaving soft ones on her eyelids, her nose, then each cheek, and finally, her lips. Giggling, she ran her fingers through his hair, adoring the way his eyes closed and the sigh that left him each time she did. “Mm, you can put a man to sleep like that, you know.” A brighter laugh and he helped her sit up, taking her hands in both of his. “I have a surprise for you tonight.” Blinking a few times, she stifled a yawn, hearing Jason and Cass bickering in the kitchen. “What… what did you have in mind?” “Well if I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, now would it?” Lily tucked her head down, cheeks flushed. “S-Sorry, I-I didn’t mean-” “Hey, it’s all right, honey. Don’t apologize.” 

Something in his eyes said he wanted to ask something else, but he never did. At least, not then. Unwillingly, Lily had to ask him to leave her room so she could get dressed. Still covered by the blankets, she was grateful he never saw her in her underwear. She hated the way she looked and couldn’t understand why Fiyero kept calling her beautiful. Donning black pants that she thought were still too tight, she found a shirt Cass bought her that went well with them. Black as well, off the shoulder with a crescent moon and stars with the tag  _ Moonchild  _ written on it in glittering letters. Her shoes were high heeled Mary Janes, red stitching with skulls on the buckles. Tying her hair back in a messy bun, she stepped out, meeting Fiyero’s stare with a blush. “Is it… is it okay? Do I look all right?” “Darling, you’re always so beautiful,” his arm was around her as he bit his lip, looking over her again. “But… I think I’m going to have to keep you close. Others are allowed to look, but they can’t touch.” 

“Oh…” Lily covered her blushing face with her hands, earning a laugh from him when Cass and Jason joined them. “Ha! Half-pint’s a tiny goth! Who’d have thought?” Peeking through her fingers, she saw her sister smack his chest. “Coming from someone who has a fetish for cowhide, I don’t think you have any room to talk.” Lily snorted and shook her head. “It-it’s fine.” “You look more than fine, baby,” Cass smiled sweetly, grabbing her clutch and sunglasses. “You ready?” Jason, without missing a beat, runs to the door first. “Puppy’s ready for walkies,” Lily murmured where he couldn’t hear, causing Fiyero and Cass both to chuckle. “Yeah, I’m ready. But I need-” Fiyero draped his coat over her shoulders and laced their fingers together. “What’d you say, half-pint?” Giggling, she pat his chest as they walked past and snickered. “Who’s a good boy?” “What’s that supposed to mean?” Snorting, she shook her head without another word. “Hey! Come on! What the fuck, half-pint?” 

As they made it to Fiyero’s car, Jason was at the passenger side first when Fiyero stopped him. “In the back, Starkweather.” “What the- come on! I always get shotgun!” Lily bit her lip, keeping her head down as he opened the door for her. “And that was before Lily. In the back.” Jason shrugged, jumping in the back with Cass and throwing his arm over her shoulders. “Ah, view’s better back here, anyways.” She could see her sister blush as she got in the car, aqua eyes sparkling when she turned to the blonde and cocked an eyebrow. “You know something, Jason? I think I like the view, too.” An arrogant smile started to spread across his face before her next remark wiped it off entirely. “Because I’m picturing you in a coma if you touch me without permission again.” He immediately removed his arm. “Tch… testy, aren’t you?” Lily had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. 

Out of the four of them, it was Fiyero who found the boutique for Cass’ dress. “My mother shops here occasionally,” a casual remark from him as the four walked inside. Everything from high class formal wear, jewelry, and shoes were placed in view for them to see and Lily’s breath caught. Everything was so expensive, the cheapest being under a thousand dollars. Cass immediately threw her hands up, shaking her head. “No. No, this is too much. Even with everything I’ve saved, I can’t just blow it all on a dress.” Waving a hand, Fiyero gave his card to the saleswoman. “Let me. There’s something I needed to buy as it is.” “What? No!” Cass stopped in the middle of the shop, staring at him with a bewildered expression. “I can’t accept that. One, I don’t want to have to owe anything and for another, this is outrageous!” He smirked, getting his card back with a small bag and gestured around. “I insist. Lily darling, you too. Go and pick something out.” 

“Wh-what? Me? Wh-why me?” “Because I believe my beautiful girlfriend needs something to show off just how beautiful she really is.” Even as she blushed, her own sister agreed with him. “For her, I understand,” she commented, crossing her arms over her chest. “But not for me. What’s your game, Fiyero? What do you get out of it?” He sighed, glancing around. “Look, this is nothing. The places we usually go to don’t even have clothing racks. And you don’t owe me a thing to begin with. I  _ am  _ dating your sister, after all.” Fiyero winked at Lily, his smile widening as the saleswoman gestured to a seamstress, both women taking the girls to have something picked out. 

Once the girls had been measured, the boys waited in the main part of the boutique as the saleswoman grabbed multiple different dresses. “Man,” Jason scoffed, taking a seat and rubbing his face. “You and this rich bitch stuff, seriously. What are you trying to prove?” Fiyero shrugged, taking a seat across from him. He pushed his hair back. “This isn’t even a dent in what I could normally do, and besides, I need to see my girl in something that shows her off besides her yoga outfit.” Jason clapped him on the shoulder with a laugh. “You fucking dog! Come on, I get what you’re doing for half-pint, but-” A warning look from Fiyero cut him off. “Hold up, I didn’t say anything about her body or wanting to see her naked. Fucking chill, man. Why Freckles, though?” “Maybe if I’m nice to her, she’ll back off and let me have Lily for awhile to myself.” Jason cocked his eyebrow. “I dunno, dude. Freckles is pretty chill, but I’ve seen her with the girl. Something happened.” 

“What are you talking about?” The girls were almost finished, they could hear them in the quiet little shop. “I mean, think about it. Chick’s stammering and shit all the time, nervous as fuck, and Freckles is a fucking guard dog with her.” Fiyero gave him a sideways look. “In three weeks, you picked that up?” The blonde dusted off his shoulder and shrugged. “Not as dumb as I look, bro.” Leaning forward, Fiyero sighed heavily. “I know. She doesn’t even have any photos in her room. Only recent ones of her and Cassandra.” The saleswoman returned, clearing her throat, but avoided looking directly at Jason. “They’re ready now, gentlemen.” Cass and Lily stepped out, each wearing one of the selected dresses with a pair of heels to match. Both Fiyero and Jason stood, swallowing and approaching each one slowly. 

Lily’s dress was a shade of red so deep, it almost resembled blood in its hue. Backless, it hugged every inch of her hourglass figure, with a deep plunge in the front that hugged her breasts together and a slit that went up mid-thigh on her. She fidgeted, her hands twisting in front of her when Fiyero took both of them in his, a dazed look of wonder in his eyes. Wrapping his arm around her waist, he pulled her closer, his smile growing as she blushed furiously. “Darling, you look  _ incredible _ .” It took more willpower than he thought to restrain himself, handing his card to the saleswoman again. “You have no idea what you’re doing to me.” “I-I, um… it-it’s really okay? I-I didn’t know if… if you’d like it or not.” Tilting her chin up, he let his forehead fall against hers. “You’re perfect, honey. This dress only proves it.” He brought their lips together when Cass spoke. “No funny business, Deamorte. I’m watching you.” 

“Why don’t you tell Jason that? Considering he looks caught between worshipping you or devouring you.” Her eyebrows knit together before she locked eyes with Jason, who looked nothing short of stunned. Teal, form hugging just like her sister’s, but revealing more. The neck plunged almost to her navel, completely backless, while the skirt was flowy, revealing legs that Lily wished she had. “Damn, Freckles,” Jason even sounded breathless, stepping up to her slowly. “You look… hot.” Then, as if remembering, he stepped back. “Doc’s a lucky bastard.” As Cass giggled, Lily fidgeted, even more insecure. She knew no one ever looked at her the way Jason looked at Cass, and she felt awkward. “Lily, darling, what’s the matter?” Fiyero’s voice made her look up, hazel eyes meeting concerned emerald. “Do you not like the dress?” Quickly, she shook her head. “N-No, I… it-it’s fine. It’s really nice. Um…” 

Briefly biting his lip, Fiyero took Lily’s arm and led her away from Jason and Cass, taking her hands in his. “Honey, you have to know I’m only looking at you,” his voice was a murmur, keeping the conversation between only them. He gave a short laugh and kissed her hands. “What can I do to make you feel better?” Lily shook her head again, avoiding his gaze when he cupped her cheek, thumb brushing over the skin. “Y-You don’t… you don’t have to do anything. I-I just… don’t like myself.” Her eyes stung when he pulled her into his arms, running his fingers down her spine. “I’ll tell you as many times as I need to: you’re perfect, darling.” Leaning back, he smiled and reached into his pocket, removing a small, rectangular box. “I have something for you.” “Wh-what? For me? I… F-Fiyero, you didn’t-” Lily’s eyebrows knit together in curiosity. “Ah, ah, I wanted to, so… will you let me?” 

She bit her lip, searching his gaze and exhaled heavily, nodding. “I-I… Um… O-Okay.” Stroking her cheek, he left a brief kiss on her lips and slowly presented the box to her, opening it to reveal a necklace. With a thin chain and a small pendant of a rose, Lily gasped and put a hand over her mouth. The rose was nothing but a red jewel, but she knew it wasn’t garnet. Ruby, maybe. “What… Um, what’s this for?” Fiyero smiled, pulling the delicate thing from its box and stepping behind her. “Because I want to give you the best the world has to offer. Lily, I want to give you the world if you’ll let me.” He draped it around her neck, hooking it at the clasp and pulled her hair over it. The rose rested at the hollow of her throat. “Platinum,” he whispered with a smile, returning to gaze over her. “With a red diamond.” A knot grew in her throat and she stared up at him, wide-eyed. “Wh-what? I-I can’t… I can’t accept this… It-it’s t-too much.” “It’s already been paid for, my dear, and it really brings out your eyes.” 

Tears fell down her cheeks and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, crying into the crook of his neck. Fiyero kissed her shoulder, keeping his own wrapped around her. “You’ll only see the best from me, love. I promise.” “Can we please change back now?” Cass called over to them, interrupting their embrace. “These heels are going to kill me!” Smirking, Fiyero kissed Lily’s forehead, keeping his hand on her back as they rejoined her sister and Jason. “Damn, I dunno, Freckles,” Jason sighed and gave her another once over, his smirk matching Fiyero’s. “I’d like to take you out myself in that get up. Hell, better yet, you wanna… you wanna go into that changing room?” With a nod and a gesture, his smirk becomes teasing when Cass smacks him. “Bloody heathen! Would it kill you to keep it in your pants just one time?” He laughs, throwing up his hands in mock surrender. “It’s in my pants right now, babe!” Exasperated, she threw her hands in the air and groaned. “You’re impossible!”

After a little effort, the girls were able to change into their regular clothes, the saleswoman charging Fiyero’s card for the shoes and Cass’ dress. Cass was still trying to refuse the thing, but no one would hear of it. Lily took her hand, squeezing softly as Fiyero held onto her. “C-Come on, he… he just wants to-to do something nice. I-I don’t like th-the prices either, but…” A soft sigh left her when he kissed her cheek, pink dusting across her nose. Cass huffed. “I need a garment bag. That thing was too much to let hang in the open air.” “And it didn’t even make a dent in what I have,” Fiyero commented with a grin. 

“S-So um… D-Doctor Graves- I-I mean, Adrian… Where, um… where will he p-pick you up or… or do you have to meet somewhere?” Instantly, Cass perked up, her aqua eyes glittering as her smile spread. “Oh! He’s picking me up at the house. When’s the party starting?” Fiyero glanced at his watch. Late morning for them. “Whenever I decide to open the doors, since it’s at my place.” Lily bit her lip, hazel eyes searching his green ones. “C-Can we… can we wait til Cass is picked up b-before the party starts?” “Of course, honey,” he kissed her forehead and took her hand, lacing their fingers together. “Anything you want.” 

The rest of their day was spent driving around and browsing different shops. While Fiyero offered to buy Lily whatever she wanted, she would shake her head and gently squeeze his hand. “I… I don’t need y-you to buy me anything f-for me to be your girlfriend, b-baby, I… I’m with you because I want to be. N-Not… not because of your money.” A flicker of surprise passed through his eyes, eyebrows raised, but relaxed into a tender smile and a deep kiss. “You’re not like anyone else I’ve ever met, darling. Be careful, I might just want to keep you all to myself.” She blushed, a squeal threatening to rip from her throat and buried her face in his chest, causing him to laugh. 

 

* * *

 

Cass was pacing that evening before Adrian arrived. “C-Cass, slow down,” Lily was becoming anxious watching her. “You’re… you’re going to wear holes in the carpet.” She sat with Fiyero on the sofa while Jason reclined across one of the accent chairs. “I’m just… really nervous. What if he doesn’t show? What if-” “If the man’s got any brains, Freckles, he’ll show,” Jason straightened, the three of them watching her skirt swish as her steps became more rapid and erratic. “And anyone who doesn’t like you can get bent.” The faintest hint of pink dusted across her freckled nose and she grinned, showing teeth with her widening smile, but she still continued to pace. “Cass, watch-” Lily cringed as her sister banged her shin on the coffee table, tucking her face in her hands. “Oh, mother of- bloody f-” Fiyero and Jason laughed. “Sounds like you crunched it pretty good, Freckles,” Jason stood and nodded to the chair. “Take a seat.” “I can’t,” Cass protested, face flushed with embarrassment. “Then my legs will just bounce and I’ll fidget and-” “M-Maybe… maybe Jason’s right this time, Cass. S-So you don’t… so you don’t get hurt.”

Aqua connecting with hazel, Cass sighed heavily and nodded, limping slightly to the chair Jason left. Minutes later, crunching gravel could be heard and a sleek, expensive Audi was in their driveway. “Damn, doc’s got one hell of a set of wheels,” Jason said as he stared through the window. Fiyero checked through another window and laughed. “Not bad, mine’s better.” “Pfft, show off.” He shrugged at the blonde’s remark, rejoining Lily, who’d been chewing her lip constantly since they’d gotten home. “Get away from the window!” Cass hissed, tugging on Jason’s arm. “It’s bad enough that I already banged my leg on the table, he doesn’t need you staring at him!” Jason’s blue eyes met her aqua ones, his eyebrow cocked with suspicion. 

“Don’t get mad at me for making sure the guy’s not a piece of shit,” but he stepped away, pushing his hair back and plopping himself on the couch, just on Lily’s other side. “Come on, doesn’t a knight have to guard a princess or some shit?” The entire room went silent, all eyes on Jason. Cass’ face was nothing less than scarlet, his matching once he realized what he’d said. The interaction made Lily grin slightly, the corners of her mouth twitching upward when Adrian knocked on the door. Jason stood, his shoulders squared as Cass went to the door. Lily pulled him down. “Just… just watch, o-okay?” “Half-pint,” for once, he was whispering, searching her hazel eyes with concern. “You can’t tell me you’re not the least bit wigged out by this.” “I-I am, but… but I want her to be happy.” Gaze hardening slightly, he nods once, briefly, and watches as Cass opens the door. 

Smiling, she turns the handle with shaking fingers. “A-Adrian, good to see you. Did you want to come in?” Almost as tall as Jason, fitted in a custom tailored suit, Adrian pushed his black hair back, checking behind her. “I hope I’m not interrupting something this evening, love,” he took her hand, kissing the knuckles. “We can always reschedule.” Jason rolled his eyes when Lily smacked him, putting a finger to her lips. “Oh, no, they-” Cass cleared her throat, face pink as she shook her head. “They just wanted to see me off, that’s all.” He smiled, nodding his head politely. “Then I think I’ll accept your hospitality, darling. Is Liliana home as well?” “Mhmm! Right inside if you want to say hello.” Stepping aside, she opened the door further and gestured for him to come in. Lily squeezed Fiyero’s hand, restraining herself from biting her lip again as her doctor entered. 

Part of her said she was just being paranoid, that there was nothing wrong with her doctor being interested in her sister. Both were legal adults, and he was charming and attractive enough to draw stares from many, but the ever-growing knot of dread continued to fester and coil, worsening when Adrian smiled. It was polite and charming, same as she remembered before, but something was off. Fiyero squeezed her hand back and raised it to his lips, his eyes never leaving hers. “Pleasure to meet you all,” Adrian’s smooth baritone voice carried throughout the living area as his pale blue eyes landed on each of them. “I’m Adrian, Liliana’s doctor. I do hope I’m not intruding.” Fiyero stood first, bowing his head, emerald eyes studying the taller man. “Fiyero Deamorte, I’m sure you’ve heard of my mother, Maria.” Recognition flashed through his eyes and he nodded, still wearing the same smile. “I have, and pleased to meet you Fiyero. How do you know Cassandra and Liliana?” 

“I’m Lily’s boyfriend,” Fiyero still held her hand, rubbing his thumb over her skin. “In case the hand holding wasn’t obvious,  _ doctor. _ ” Lily tucked her head down when Jason snorted, catching Adrian’s attention. “Ah, I don’t believe we’ve met. And you are?” Standing, the blonde had at least an inch on him in height, and was more broad, bigger as he squared his shoulders back. “I don’t think that’s something you  _ have  _ to know, is it, doc? You better treat her right, I don’t give a fuck who your family is.” Without another word, he brushed past Adrian and Cass, stopping on the porch. “Freckles, you got my number if shit goes south.” With that, he left. Cass froze, completely stunned as she stared after his retreating figure and back to everyone else. “What’s gotten into him? He was fine earlier today.” Adrian sighed and offered his arm to her. “Just my opinion, but I think the young man is interested in you, darling.” Aqua eyes wide, she shook her head. “Jason? No, he can’t be. I-” “Isn’t it obvious, love? Throwing a tantrum and storming off, telling you that you have his number, it’s quite plain to see the boy has feelings for you.”

Lily’s eyes hardened, narrowing at the tone Adrian used when calling Jason ‘boy’, as well as everything else that came from his mouth. Cass bit her lip briefly, color deepening on her cheeks when she took Adrian’s arm, nodding to the door. “Shall we… shall we go?” Her sister hadn’t been this nervous with people before, and Lily knew she was attracted to not one, but two different guys, only increasing her worry. A deep chuckle brought her from her thoughts, focusing on the two as they started for the door. “I might be out late tonight, baby,” Cass called over her shoulder. “Don’t wait up too long, okay? And make safe choices!” The door shut behind them and Lily groaned, Fiyero taking her into his arms. “Honey, are you okay? You looked like you wanted to scream.” “I-I don’t… I can’t… I can’t get rid of this feeling, and… and I’m s-scared. I-I know I shouldn’t be, but-” Lips connected, cutting her off as he ran his fingers through her hair. “I know, sweetheart,” he replied softly, pressing his forehead to hers. “But she made her choice. All we can do is wait now.” 

* * *

 

Lily was in awe at the size of Fiyero’s home. The rumors didn’t lie about it being a mansion, and as soon as they arrived, Jason was waiting at the front door, looking every bit of intimidating that he was projecting. Arms crossed over his chest, and the moment Fiyero opened the door for Lily, he was striding to them. “Can we get this shit started or what, man? I need a fucking buzz or something.” “Calm down, Jason,” Fiyero said casually, keeping his arm around Lily. “This  _ is  _ a party, after all.” “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Just… open the damn doors. Your mom’s gone, right?” He nodded, the three of them approaching the door when he pressed a button. She could hear an audible clicking sound from inside and gasped. The mansion itself seemed ancient and preserved, pristine and modern combined. The moment the door opened, her mouth did the same before she snapped it shut. 

Red seemed to color everything inside: furniture, parts of the walls, even the rugs. Everywhere her eyes roamed, red the shade of blood was in sight. And roses. Afraid to touch anything, she kept close to her boyfriend as Jason went ahead, straight for another room. “Wh-where-” “Oh, don’t worry about him, darling,” Fiyero kissed her temple and pulled his phone out, tapping a few times and tucking it away again. “I want you to enjoy yourself tonight, okay?” She nodded, hesitating to meet his eyes. “I-I-I’ll try, but… but Cass-” “If anything happens, I’m sure she’ll let us know. Do you want something to drink? It might help you calm down.” The offer was a gentle one, and she found herself nodding again when he laced his fingers with hers, leading her in the same direction Jason went. 

The entire place seemed to be a maze, but both boys had everything memorized. Lily was just grateful Fiyero was holding onto her, for fear of getting lost. High ceilings, a maze of hallways, doors to other rooms and portraits with gazes that seemed to follow her everywhere, it was almost overwhelming. “Y-Your house is… it’s incredible. I-I don’t think I’ve ever been inside anything like this before.” He smiled, opening a door that brought them to where Jason was. It appeared to be a bar, an entire wall lined with varying types of bottles, filled with different colored liquids. Alcohol. Biting the inside of her cheek, she tried not to think about what went along with drinking that stuff, her parents’ faces flashing in her mind. “Ay, half-pint,” Jason called from behind the bar. “You want a drink?” “I, um…” Fiyero let go of her hand for a moment, joining the blonde behind the bar. “Not with the stuff you make, Starkweather. I don’t need my girl dying of alcohol poisoning.”

“They’re not that bad,” he protested, slamming something back that was dark and opaque and hissed. Lily could smell it from where she was standing, at least fifteen feet away. “Lily, my love, come here,” Fiyero smiled softly, beckoning her with a nod as he grabbed different bottles from the wall. Tentatively, she joined them, watching the neon lights on the wall and bar with fascination as they faded and changed colors. “Not bad, huh?” “It… it’s… it’s almost pretty,” she said softly, finally meeting his gaze with a bashful one. “What, um… what are you making?” “This?” He held three bottles up and an empty glass. “This is for you, honey. Are you all right with alcohol?” Shifting her weight, she glanced to the bottles and back to him. “I… I’ve never drank before. N-Not alcohol.” Humming thoughtfully, he set them on the bar as Jason made himself another drink. “This is a pina colada, love.” She remembered the name, but her parents never drank what they considered ‘girly drinks’. It was always whiskey or moonshine. 

Curious, she stepped closer. “What… what’s in it?” Fiyero wrapped his arm around her for a moment, tapping each bottle and explaining. “Here we have white rum, this one is coconut cream, and this is pineapple juice. I can make it where you won’t taste the alcohol, honey.” Worry twinged at the base of her skull, which only grew worse when she thought of Cass. Lily nodded. “I… O-Okay. I’ll try it.” Smiling, he kissed her temple and set the glass in front of the bottles and pulled out a blender. After a few moments, a frozen white substance was poured into the glass with a straw and handed to her. It smelled like coconuts. “It… it smells nice,” she commented with a small smile, stirring it absentmindedly. Fiyero winked, chuckling as Jason groaned from the alcohol he was drinking. “Try it, princess, let me know if you like it.” Another nod and she put the straw to her lips.

“Mm! This is really good! It… it tastes like coconuts!” His smile widened when Jason coughed. “Good for you, half-pint,” he slammed back another drink. “Drink up.” “I’m glad you like it, honey,” Fiyero kissed her cheek. “Take your time if you want to take it slow, okay?” “O-Okay, thank you.” Moments later, Jason pulled something from a cabinet and went to the far side of the bar, fiddling with something before he flicked a lighter. Lily watched, curious and concerned, but otherwise, alternated between stirring her drink and taking small sips. “Everyone’ll be here soon,” Fiyero sighed, pushing his hair back and keeping Lily close. Jason blew a large puff of smoke from his lips, coughing furiously before swallowing a large amount of alcohol. “Then I’m blowing this joint when they do get here, bro. I ain’t in the mood for those shallow fucks.” “Suit yourself,” he replied, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend and nuzzling her neck. 

True to his word, when the first group of people arrived, Jason left. Lily thought as much as he’d had, that he wouldn’t be safe leaving on his own, but Fiyero insisted otherwise. “He’ll be fine, sweetheart. Stay close to me tonight. I don’t trust these people.” Her eyebrows knit together, confused. “Then why do you invite them?” Her stammering gone, her head felt fuzzy and she felt warm, taking more sips of her drink. He sighed, taking her hand in his. “Because it seems I have an image to keep, and any publicity is good publicity.” For some reason, she thought she caught a hint of sadness in his voice, a certain distance that put tension in his shoulders. Lily squeezed his hand gently. “Not with me. You don’t have to do or say anything you don’t want around me. You… you deserve to be happy.” Smiling, he set her drink aside and wrapped his arms around her waist as more and more people kept arriving. “Seeing your smile is what makes me happy, love.” 

“And you have it, baby,” fingers in his hair, Lily stood on her toes and kissed his jaw, smiling sweetly. “But if you’re not able to do or say what you want because of an image, then maybe you could invent a new one? One that makes you happy to be who you are?” Something passed in his eyes, and without another word, his lips were on hers, moving a hand to cradle her head. Surprised and half-inebriated, she melted into his kiss, not noticing he’d backed her into another room, away from the party. 

* * *

  
  


Meanwhile, Jason was miles away, having walked on foot. Fists in his pockets, he couldn’t shake Cass from his mind. Drunk and stoned, he still couldn’t stop thinking about her. “Fi, you lucky fuck,” he grumbled, kicking a broken beer bottle down an alley. “Get your fucking girl to stay with you, but I can’t get Freckles to even notice I’m fucking breathing.” He was fuming, grumbling to himself as he made it to the city, somewhere upperclass. Not knowing where he was, he kept going, anything to get his mind off the girl. Lily’s suggestion with the flowers worked, he saw her giggle about them, but he was too much of a chicken shit to admit it was him. “Fuck!” Thinking he lost his chance, Jason picked up his pace, wanting to be anywhere except his own head. 

Some parts of the area started looking familiar. Fiyero had taken him there a few times to a few of the more classy bars as long as he kept himself in check. Some of the restaurants weren’t bad either. A flash of teal caught his attention and he swore. “I gotta be seein’ shit.” Cass and Adrian, sitting by the window of one of those ritzy restaurants. Her face was flushed, hand to her forehead, and her date looking every bit the concerned gentleman. The two stood up and were heading for the door, making him turn and head the opposite direction. “No.” One simple word made him stop dead in his tracks and clench his jaw, cocking his head and turning to watch. Adrian had his hand around Cass’ arm, leading her away from the restaurant, and she was trying to pull away. “I said no, Adrian! Bloody hell, let me go!” 

Shoulders squared, he stepped closer, watching as the doctor’s face went from charming to completely sadistic, pulling something from his pocket. “What are you- hey!” Adrian was speaking, but he was too far to hear. Jason got closer, sapphire eyes burning with rage. “Get off!” “This is really going to hurt if you don’t cooperate, darling.” Bile roses in Jason’s throat and he was walking quicker, ready to tear him away from her when she whimpered. “Fuck.” He closed the distance at a full blown run. Luckily, the doctor had his back to him when he got close enough. Jason grabbed a fistful of raven hair and yanked backward, pulling Adrian from Cass. A needle was stuck in her arm and she had cuts along the other. Vision red, the blonde turned on the doctor, picking him up by his throat. “You dumb motherfucker. Didn’t I fucking tell you I don’t give a  _ fuck  _ who your motherfucking family is? You’re done for, bitch.” 

Jason threw him, Adrian’s head impacting with a street lamp, dazing him, but not enough. “You again? Having another tantrum? Why don’t you go back to your mommy?” Gritting his teeth, Jason waited for him, spitting at Adrian as he got to his feet. “You talk a lot of shit for someone who’s supposed to be helping others.” He was getting bored, watching Adrian’s every move, waiting. He had a scalpel. Fucking doc carried a goddamned scalpel. “You’ve gotta bring a bitch knife and can’t fight like a real man? Is this how you pick up chicks, douchebag?” Rolling his head, the doctor stepped closer when Jason drew his fist back. He saw the scalpel coming before he impacted his knuckles against Adrian’s jaw, clutching his wrist as he felt teeth pop from the bone. Sure enough, Adrian spit blood, teeth coming with it. Neither one seemed to hear Cass crying, nor see that she’d fallen on her side in shock and from whatever was in that needle. 

A well-placed kick connected to the doctor’s ribcage, and Jason knew he shattered a couple, having done this more than once. On the ground, Adrian panted, a surprised but amused expression on his face as he started  _ smiling _ . Jason slammed his heel down on his arm, then his hand, kicking him in the stomach repeatedly. Thank fuck for steel toe boots. Rage subsiding, his vision cleared enough to see the doctor unconscious or dead, not bothering to check for a pulse. Instead, Cass’ labored crying caught his attention and drew him to her side, picking her up bridal style and getting her away from the restaurant. She was growing slack in his arms, clutching his jacket as she sobbed when he sat her on the hood of a random car, pulling his phone from his pocket. “Hey, Freckles, it’s okay now. He’s not… fuck! No one’s doing this shit again, you got me? We’re getting you checked out. What’d he stick you with anyway?”

“I… I d-don’t… kn-know, but it hurts! M-Make it stop! Jason,  _ please! _ ” Almost shrieking, he flinched for a moment before hurriedly punching in a number, bringing his phone to his ear. “Fuck. Try again.” Alternating between texting and phone calls, his jaw set, knuckles bloody as his adrenaline ran wild, Jason swore. “Motherfucker! Pick up the goddamned phone!” Finally, after another few minutes of trying, a male’s voice answered, annoyed and agitated. “Fi, shut the fuck up for five goddamn minutes, all right? Grab half-pint. Freckles is… fuck. Dude, doc fucked her up and we need a hospital. I can’t go to fucking jail again. Just fucking get here, man!” 


	10. Chapter 10

The party was in full swing, and more people kept coming. Inebriated, head spinning, Lily felt like the only thing keeping her grounded was Fiyero, keeping his lips locked with hers. Holding onto his arms, the world around her faded away. His hands rubbed up her back and down her sides, keeping her close when he had her against a wall. Lacing his fingers with hers, he pinned her hands around her head and brought his lips to her neck. Everything was spinning, she couldn’t see straight. Releasing one of her hands, Fiyero skimmed his fingers along her thigh, bringing her leg up around his waist as he nipped and sucked at the skin of her neck. “F-Fiyero… Fiyero, w-wait…” Instantly, he stopped, removing his lips from her throat and easing her leg down, resting his forehead against hers and keeping their eyes locked. Both of them were panting. “Sweetheart, you’ve never done this before, have you?” 

“N-No, I… I haven’t. I… I, um…” “Oh honey,” his arms were around her in an embrace, still keeping her close. “You’re a virgin, huh?” Slowly, hesitantly, Lily nodded and bit her lip, her eyes stinging. “I-I’m sorry. I-I don’t… I don’t have a-any ex-experience or… or I c-can’t be what you… what you want. If-If you’d r-rather find someone else, then-” Cradling the back of her head, he brought his lips to hers fiercely, cutting off her words. “I don’t want to find anyone else,” he kept his gaze locked with hers, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “Darling, if you want to wait, we’ll wait. I would never force something like that on you.” She sniffed, nodding again, her own arms wrapping around his back. She put her face to his neck, sighing shakily. 

Fiyero stepped back, releasing her and taking her hand, giving her a gentle smile. “Tell me when you’re ready, okay?” Kissing the back of her hand, then her forehead, he ran his fingers through her hair. “It doesn’t change that I still want to be with you.” Lily gave him a small smile. “I… O-Okay. What, um… what did you want to do?” Humming softly, he pulled her into his arms, twirling her and dipping her low, a teasing smile spreading over his face. “I don’t know about you, love, but I feel like dancing a little.” She giggled and nodded, nuzzling into his neck once he pulled her up. When she tried going to where the party was, he held her wrist, keeping her from moving. “I… I thought…” A smirk painted his face and he pulled her close, chests pressed against one another. “We’ll dance in there later.” One hand rested at the small of her back while the other held her hand. “Right now… right now, I just want to be around you. No one else.” 

As if in a trance, the pink stayed across her nose as she bit her lip, dancing with him to their own music. “I… I have a question,” Lily’s timid statement didn’t slow them down. Instead, Fiyero kept the pace, tilting his head slightly. “Anything, darling. Ask away.” She cleared her throat with a small nod of her head. “Y-You, um… you s-said something before about… about me being smart, and… and th-that you needed help with… with school. Um… We haven’t… we haven’t done any s-schoolwork t-together at… at all and… and I guess… I guess I-I’m wondering why.” Sighing, he twirled her, bringing her back to his chest and pressing his lips to her forehead. “It’s going to make me sound like a real dick when I tell you, honey. You promise you won’t get mad at me?” Confused, her eyebrows knit together and she shook her head. 

“I won’t… I won’t get mad. Wh-what… what is it?” His eyes barely met hers that time, his air of confidence wavering. Fiyero sighed heavily. “I remembered first period and how you’re ahead from your old school. My first intention was to skim off your work and get by, but… I can’t. You’ve become so important to me, darling and I… I’ve never felt as close to anyone as I do you. I know I’ve never given you any reason to trust me or believe a word I say, but I mean it, love. I just hope you can find it in your heart to give me a chance to prove it.” The admission should have upset her, and at first, it did, but she believed in second chances and she knew he couldn’t be bad. He’d been so good to her since the beginning. Lily stopped the dance and stood on her toes, hands on his shoulders as she kissed his cheek. “W-Well, I-I’d be really… really selfish if-if I didn’t. I… I believe you.” His shoulders sagged minutely and his smile returned, holding her face and leaving kisses everywhere. “You’re really not like anyone else I’ve ever met.”

The loud chirping of Fiyero’s phone interrupted them and he swore under his breath. “If he got arrested again, I’m going to- What do you want, Jason? Lily and I were-” Lily could hear Jason, frantic and panicked. Then she heard ‘Freckles’.  _ Did something happen to Cass? Oh god… _ Fiyero paled a few shades as he continued to listen, then quickly hit a button and took her hand. “Honey, we have to go, okay? I’m ending the party and then we have to leave.” Heart in her throat, she followed Fiyero to where the party was, watching him yank the power cable from the wall. “Everyone out! Party’s cancelled, go home!” Grumbles and complaints echoed along the walls and his jaw flexed. “I’ve got some interesting photos of each and every last one of you in compromising positions. If you want them to stay under wraps, then  _ move. _ ” Without another word, everyone cleared out. 

“F-Fiyero? Wh-what… what’s going on? Did… did something h-happen t-to Cass?” Fiyero swallowed, slowly meeting Lily’s worried hazel eyes. “I, uh… Sweetheart, I want you to remember to keep breathing, all right?” Taking her hand, the two left for his car once everyone else had gone. “Just listen to my voice, I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere.” Dread mixed with the alcohol, churning and making her nauseous. Swallowing a knot in her throat, she nodded, her eyes stinging. She knew. Somehow, she already knew: things didn’t go well on Cass’ date with Adrian, and after the news report… Lily ran to the other side of his car, along the treeline to the forest and retched when she felt her hair being held back. Fiyero. He rubbed her back, reminding her he was right there. “Th-the date…?” Sniffing, she couldn’t look him in the eye, embarrassed and afraid. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I know you didn’t want to be, but you were right the whole time.” 

Tears instantly streamed down her cheeks, fearing the worst. More bile rose and she retched again, her stomach heaving. Fiyero never left her side. After moments that felt like hours, she shakily straightened herself, taking a napkin when he offered it and wiped her mouth, throwing it into the forest. “D-Do you… do you have any gum?” Lily kept her mouth covered, her head tucked down as he nodded and wrapped an arm around her waist, leading her back to his car. “It’s in the car, honey.” He did everything: opening the door for her, buckling her in, even leaving a kiss on her forehead and cheek before shutting the door gently and getting in his side. After handing her the gum, he peeled out, kicking rocks up and sped from his house. “I’m sorry it can’t go any faster, darling. I’m already pushing one-forty.”  _ A hundred and forty miles an hour?!  _ Lily gripped the handle, holding his other hand, appreciating that he squeezed back as hard as she did. 

“It… it’s fine. Y-You’re d-doing what you can,” the gum was in her mouth and she whimpered, tears continuing to fall. The ride should have taken at least thirty minutes. Fiyero got Lily there in two. Jason waved them over, and Lily could just make out Cass’ trembling form on the hood of a car. Eyes bleary, Fiyero helped her unbuckle and the two were out of the car in an instant, the brakes just barely making their stop when he switched the gear to park. Cass clung to Jason, visibly quaking when Lily got to her. “C-Cass?” Loud, strangled sobs echoed against the brick and glass of nearby buildings. “Y-You w-were right, b-baby. I-I’m s-so s-sorry I d-didn’t l-listen…” Every word a stammer, Cass tried to sniff and choked, burying her face in Jason’s chest, who’s sapphire eyes were in a flurry. Panic, rage, even fear, all of them intermingling and colliding. He opened and closed his mouth several times to speak, but no sound would emit. 

Lily noticed Cass was wavering, even while sitting down and her chest tightened in a panic attack. “Everyone, get in the car. Jason, sit in the back. She’s clinging to you, it’ll be easier that way. Lily, honey, come on. We’re taking her to a hospital, okay?” Fiyero was the voice of reason, snapping everyone out of their state and getting them to his car. Jason had to carry Cass like a toddler the way she’d latched onto him, her legs around his waist as her nails dug into his leather jacket. The knot in Lily’s throat kept growing and she sobbed, watching helplessly as her sister was put into the car. “Is that piece of shit still on the ground?” “What are you talking about?” Fiyero got Lily into the passenger seat and was quickly in his own once more, speeding to the hospital. “That fucking whack job!” Cass shrieked when Jason yelled, causing him to flinch again as Lily and Fiyero winced. “Shit! Freckles, I’m sorry, I just… fuck. Fi, is he out there or not?!” “We didn’t see anyone when we got there, Jason,” he replied grimly. “The only ones we saw were you two.”

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! FUCK!” Lily flinched that time, but Fiyero was unphased, still speeding expertly down almost abandoned roads. “That means that fuck is still alive.” Casting a brief glance in his rearview, Fiyero’s jaw set. “Is that why you were scared of going to jail? Thought you killed someone again?” Lily’s eyes widened, but Cass… she wasn’t reacting any different, still clinging to the blonde and growing weaker. “Man, I got enough shit to deal with. Can we drop it for now?” No response, but Fiyero took Lily’s hand, lacing their fingers together as they neared the hospital. The moment they arrived at the emergency entrance, Jason all but kicked the front seat from its bolts once Lily had gotten out of the car, sprinting inside with her and Fiyero following. Seeing the blood trail from Cass’ arm as Jason screamed at the receptionist made her knees buckle when her boyfriend caught her. “Breathe, darling. Breathe for me. We’re going back now, see?” Lily nodded, tears still falling, her head starting to throb. 

Nurses and various attendants surrounded Cass, laying her on the cot and pushing Jason back. Lily whimpered and choked, Fiyero taking her into his arms. Head on his shoulder, she couldn’t stop the tears from falling. “S-She’s the o-only f-family I-I’ve got. I d-don’t h-have any-anyone else. She-she saved m-me and…” “Shh,” Fiyero held her close, fingers threading through her hair, his other hand rubbing her back. “It’s all right, princess. I think she’s gonna be okay. I’m here, honey. I’m here. I’ve got you, baby.” As tight as Lily clung to him, he didn’t try to ease her grip. Knowing there was a sure chance he’d have bruises, he didn’t tell her to relax or calm down. Fiyero held her almost as tight, glaring at the nurses staring at the mark he left on her neck. Jason was beside himself, tugging at his hair as he joined them when they were pushed from the room and told to wait. Lily couldn’t move on her own and Fiyero tucked his arm under her legs and carried her as she continued to whimper against his neck. 

“We’re going to sit down, okay darling? I’m going to hold you while we wait for a doctor.” She choked on a sob, but nodded, arms around his shoulders as he cradled her. “How did you even find her?” Lily hiccupped, raising her head at the sound of Fiyero’s voice when she realized he was speaking to Jason. “Man,” pushing his blonde hair back, he started pacing, not bothering to sit down. “I don’t know, I just… Fuck, I’m too blazed for this shit. I bailed and walked I don’t know how fucking far when I saw them in some rich bitch diner. I was gonna take off when they came out and I heard her say no to the bastard. He was sayin’ something, I don’t know what, I wasn’t close enough. And it got worse. He tried using his size to intimidate her and told her to just go with him and… fuck dude. I lost my shit. Tore him off of her so fucking fast, but she was bleeding and a needle was jabbed into her fucking arm.” Lily whimpered again, sobbing once more into Fiyero’s neck as he stroked her hair and back, kissing her temple as he sighed. 

Jason growled, tearing at his hair again. “I can’t be here for this shit, man. They’re gonna call the cops and if they catch me like this, I’m fucking grass.” Turning on his heel, he started to take off when a small hand shot out and twisted in his jacket. Lily. Teary hazel eyes stared up at his sapphire ones, uncertain. “It was,” she swallowed, breath ragged as she tried to continue. “It was s-self-defense and… and if-if you h-hadn’t shown up when you did…” The words caught in her throat and she couldn’t go on, her gaze pleading up to him. Fiyero sighed again, heavily, and gestured with a nod to a chair. “Sit, Jason. I’ll get you out of it.” Two pairs of eyes shot to him in surprise and confusion. “No,” Jason shook his head, but never tried to pry off Lily’s hand from his coat. “I already owe you enough favors. Not happening.” “I’m not doing this for you, idiot, I’m doing it for Lily.” 

“Damn bro, whipped already?” Jason tried to joke, his attempt at a smile more resembling a grimace. Fiyero rolled his eyes, but his offer seemed to have some effect and Jason sat down, Lily releasing his coat and clinging to her boyfriend. “What does that have anything to do with this?” He shrugged. The three of them waited for hours, neither one really speaking. All that could be heard was the occasional peck of Fiyero’s lips to Lily’s forehead or cheek. Finally, a haggard looking man stepped into the waiting room, causing them all to perk up. “Are either one of you family to Miss Elworth?” Lily raised her head and nodded. “I… I am. She-she’s my sister. H-Her parents ad-adopted me.” Face set into a grim expression, the doctor looked to the boys then back to her and sat in a chair across from them. “Your sister, she… she’s going to make it, but… there’s a slow-acting poison that’s been injected into her system, and it’s taking us a lot of time and transfusions to get it out. We’re going to have to keep her for a couple days. You said her parents adopted you?” 

Eyes stinging again, Lily nodded and bit her lip to suppress the whimper. “Y-Yes, sir. Th-they’re not home, um… th-they’re on a… on a tour and won’t be back f-for some time.” Fiyero was rubbing her arm, hugging her close when the doctor nodded. “Do you have a way to contact them?” “I-I do, but… m-my phone isn’t with me and I don’t remember the-their numbers.” She felt worthless, a few tears rolling down her cheeks, unable to do anything but wait. Exhaling a heavy sigh, the doctor scratched his chin. “All right. Well, if you could leave your home phone and cell numbers, we can give you a call once we have an update. We’ll try to work as fast as possible to get her home.” Lily nodded, shaking as she wiped her eyes when Jason stood. “Did you need anything else, doc? Because this place is freaking me the fuck out.” “I’m sorry, doctor,” Fiyero shifted in his chair, still holding Lily, when he shot the blonde another glare. “He’s a bit uncomfortable in hospitals, but I imagine there’s questions that need answering?”

“That’s right, young man. We’ll have to bring in an officer. With the consistency of Miss Elworth’s injuries, we need to file the legalities away.” While the three didn’t reply, the doctor stood, turning back once he reached the door to the emergency rooms. “There’s actually an officer here, so we can wrap this up and you gentlemen can take the young lady home.” “Thank you, doctor.” Lily shifted, peering at the doctor nervously after Fiyero spoke. “Um…” Stopping, the man turned to her curiously. “Wh-when can I see her?” The doctor sighed again, rubbing the back of his neck. “My guess is not until the evening. It’s already late for you kids.” Without another word, he returned to his duties, leaving the three to wait for an officer. Whimpering, Lily hid her face in Fiyero’s neck, trying not to cry again. Everything was eating at her. Not pushing hard enough to get Cass to cancel the date, ruining her boyfriend’s party… All of it making her heart ache. “Honey, what is it?”

Biting her lip, her bloodshot hazel eyes met his clear but concerned emerald ones as she raised her head. “I… I’m s-sorry. Th-this… this is m-my fault.” He froze, his eyes pained. “Honey, no,” Fiyero held her face in his hands, wiping the tears that started to fall. “None of this is your fault. How can you say that?” Lily cried as he brought his forehead to hers, still holding her face. “B-Because I… I should h-have tried harder t-to get her to c-cancel and… and I ruined y-your party. C-Can you f-forgive me?” Her voice was broken, and he took her into his embrace again, not letting her go. “Darling, there’s nothing to forgive. You didn’t want your sister unhappy, you said so yourself. And… Can I let you in on something?” Leaning back, Lily could see he had a glimmer of a smile twitching the corners of his mouth upward. “Hmm? Wh-what?” He chuckled quietly and kissed her forehead. “The party was boring anyway. The only reason I was having any fun was because of you.” 

An officer came up to them, gaining their attention. About as tall as Jason, with dark hair and lightening silver eyes. His badge read Bennet. “Sorry for interrupting, but I’ve got a couple questions for you kids and then you can go.” He was cute, even had a Southern drawl to his voice, making Lily more at ease as he spoke. As soon as his eyes connected with hers, she saw a flash of recognition. “Well, I must be blessed. Lily Eriksen, right?” Sniffing, she nodded, but her expression was confused. “Do I… do I know you, sir?” A sheepish smile and a small laugh escaped him as he pushed his hair back. “No, I don’t think you’d remember me. My name’s Sebastian. How’re you holdin’ up, doll?” He flashed a charming smile, even winked at her, Lily assumed in attempt to lighten the mood. Pink dusted across her nose and she gave a quiet giggle. Fiyero’s grip tightened around her waist, his jaw twitching in her peripheral. “I-I’m okay, but… but how do you know me?”

“Oh, right,” Sebastian leaned forward, keeping his eyes locked with hers. “It was over the summer. I was one of the reporting officers…” A knot grew in Lily’s throat, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. She still hadn’t told Fiyero. But Sebastian smiled still, a glimmer in his silver eyes. “But wow, doll, you’re lookin’ great. Bet you drive the boys wild with eyes that pretty.” He winked again, and a small growl sounded in Fiyero’s chest. “Are you going to ask us what you need to,  _ officer _ , or are you going to continue making passes at my girlfriend?” Silver eyes flickered in surprise, but his smile was cocky. “Oh. Oh, I’m sorry,” Sebastian apologized, hands up in a surrender. “I didn’t realize… Ah, it’s a bad habit with me.” “You don’t say,” Fiyero scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. “You didn’t realize when she’s obviously sitting in my lap and holding onto me.” 

  
Sebastian cocked an eyebrow, clicking his tongue and Lily straightened. Giving him a deadpan expression, the officer leaned forward with a sardonic smirk. “Listen, it’s no secret how you roll,” his eyes were mocking as they locked onto angry emerald. “You haven’t exactly been known to play for that team, so you’ll forgive me if I seem a little  _ confused. _ ” Lily felt Fiyero bristle, opening his mouth for a retort and cut them both off. “I… O-Okay, I-I think… th-that’s enough. Y-Yes, he… he is my boyfriend, officer-” “Call me Sebastian, doll,” again, he winked at her. She could feel Fiyero’s tension rolling in waves, as well as the struggle to restrain himself. “I… th-thank you. Um… Y-Yes, Fiyero’s my boyfriend. N-Now, what… what about what you needed to ask us?” Grip easing slightly, he brushed her hair aside, kissing her cheek and temple a few times before resting his head on her shoulder. Sebastian’s gaze fell on Lily’s neck, then to her boyfriend and shook his head. 

“All right, let’s start off with something easy. What were you kids doing tonight?” Lily bit her lip. Was it okay to tell this guy about the party?  _ He’ll probably ask if there was any drinking. Gods… I can’t get in trouble now! I can’t-  _ “You kids can just go ahead and say you were partying. I can smell the booze on ya.” Jason tensed, his pacing picking up once more and Sebastian gestured to a chair. “Sit down, kid. I smell the grass too. I’ll let it slide this time, but only because this is an investigation into a crime.” Releasing the breath he’d been holding, he sat down beside Fiyero. “So, the party,” Sebastian continued, pulling a notebook and pen from his breast pocket. “I’m assuming all of you drank something?” “I, um…” All eyes turned to Lily, making a knot grow in her throat. 

“C-Cass, wasn’t… she wasn’t th-there. S-She… She was on-on a date… w-with my d-doctor.” Fiyero hugged her a little tighter, kissing her shoulder to comfort her. “Wait,” Sebastian held up a hand, shaking his head slightly. “Your doctor? How old’s this guy?” “Twenty-three,” Jason answered. “I only remember because they were texting nonstop for a week before they went out.” “All right, and did Cass get injured before the date, or after?” Lily swallowed, her eyes stinging and looked to the other two, biting her lip. “She got fucked up  _ on  _ the date, dude,” the blonde pushed his  hair back, kicking his foot out. “I would know since I was walking by when the douchebag tried forcing her into his car.” “And this was your doctor, Lily?” Whimpering, she nodded, lacing her fingers with her boyfriend’s. Sebastian sighed, taking notes and looking to each one of them before his silver gaze rested on Jason. “You know more about this than they do. Wanna tell me why you weren’t at the party with them?” 

Jason blew out a heavy breath, arms over his chest. “Because I don’t like dealing with a bunch of shallow fucks like the ones that usually show up. And I had shit on my mind and wanted to clear my head.” “The Deamorte home is one hell of a walk from town. Must’ve had a lot on your mind.” Shrugging, he clicked his tongue, not meeting the officer’s gaze. “So what if I did? Look man, I didn’t even know I walked that far. All I remember is being in the rich part of town, saw the doc and Freckles sitting in some fancy ass place and went to walk away when they came out. I heard her tell him ‘no’ and shit escalated.” Save for the sounds of medical equipment and a TV with shoddy reception, the waiting room was silent. Sebastian shifted in his seat, setting his notebook aside. “Escalated how?” Jason rolled his shoulders at the question, his jaw flexing. Lily saw rage bubbling in his eyes before he stared at Sebastian. Well, glared would have been more appropriate. 

“Meaning, she was fucking crying, he kept going, and I got pissed and fucking wailed on him. I yanked his ass off her and I saw a fucking needle in her arm. Motherfucker pulled a scalpel on me. I defended Freckles as well as myself. You can’t charge me with shit.” Lily buried her face in Fiyero’s neck, tears falling again. Her breath shook. “Calm down, Jason,” Fiyero rubbed her back, his voice level. It seemed him and Sebastian were the only calm ones there. “You’re not getting charged,” Sebastian clarified. He swallowed, hesitating, as he glanced at each one of them and clasped his hands together. “The docs told you she was poisoned, and they have to do an extensive transfusion as well as observation, makin’ sure none of her vitals get damaged. They think she’ll be okay, but they wanna be sure. I think we’re almost done here, then you’re free to go.” He glanced to Fiyero and Lily, eyebrows knit together. “I’m assuming Jason here called the two of you to come out and help?” 

Fiyero nodded, still rubbing Lily’s back as she clung to him. “When he told me over the phone, I got there as fast as I could. Look, can we go now? My girlfriend is obviously distraught and she needs her rest, and being here any longer isn’t helping.” Silver eyes narrowed briefly before concern set in and Sebastian nodded, putting his notebook and pen back in his pocket. “I’m assuming she’s not going to want to stay alone. Will you boys be taking her home?” “She can stay with me,” Fiyero kissed her cheek, hugging her to him. “I’m not letting her stay at her place because that creep knows where she lives.” Another sigh and the officer stood, running his fingers through his hair. “Fair enough. You’re free to go. Get her home and you kids stay safe.” With that, he went back through the door of the emergency room. Jason was quickly on his feet. 

“Did you leave the party running after you guys took off?” “And let those idiots have full run of my house? You’re dreaming,” Fiyero rubbed Lily’s back and she raised her head, sniffing, unwilling to let him go. “Honey, you’re staying with me for a few days, okay?” Hands held her face, thumbs wiping her tears away and he kissed her forehead. “M-My clothes…” “Did you want to run by your place to pick some up?” Shaking her head, her eyes watered again. “I-I don’t… if-if J-Jason said that he… that A-Adrian was o-on the ground and… and he’s not there anymore, I d-don’t…” “Shhh, it’s all right now, darling. Cass is gonna be okay, and you can borrow something of mine to sleep in tonight and I’ll take you shopping tomorrow, okay? Whatever you want, sweetheart. I’m going to take care of you. Did you need me to carry you to the car?” Again, she shook her head, sniffing and started to lift herself from him. “I-I can… I can walk, but… but thank you.” 

His smile was soft as they stood, stroking her cheek and taking her hand. Jason was at the doors already. “Come on, you nauseating fucks! Let’s go already!” Turning his gaze to the blonde, Fiyero scoffed, leading Lily to the exit. “And what makes you think you’re crashing at my place?” “Aw, come on, bro! After tonight, fuck, I…” Fiyero held up a hand. “Don’t sweat it, but you’re not making this an all the time thing.” As they joined him, Jason’s gaze went to Lily’s neck. “What makes you think I- Jesus fuck dude! What did you do to Half-pint?” Startled, her hazel eyes met Jason’s, then Fiyero’s. “H-He didn’t do a-anything to me. What… what are you talking about?” The three of them were outside, making their way to the Maserati as the conversation continued. “Other than the hickey on your neck as dark as Fi’s tires, nothin’. Nothin’ at all.” Her eyebrows knit in confusion as Fiyero opened the passenger door for her. Jason’s jaw dropped. 

  
“You gotta be shittin’ me! You don’t know what a hickey is?” Her hand was instantly at her neck, rubbing the spot where he was staring. It didn’t feel any different, just a little tender. Jason got in first, then pulled the seat back and she was in shortly after. “I… I don’t…” “Drop it, Starkweather,” there was a finality in Fiyero’s voice that made the blonde clam up, still snickering in the backseat. He took Lily’s hand once he was in the driver’s seat, kissing her knuckles. “Nothing to worry about, love, just that I can’t help myself when I’m with you.” Jason rolled his eyes, groaning, while Lily tucked her head down and nodded softly, blushing and weary from the long night. 

The moment they arrived back at his home, Fiyero helped Lily inside, taking her upstairs to another massive part of the place she’d never seen. Red, still its bloody hue, was even the dominant color throughout the hallways. Finally, he stopped at a door at the end of a hallway and smiled at her. “I’d give you a tour, love, but I know how tired you must be. Would you like one in the morning?” Stifling a yawn, she nodded. “Y-Yes, please.” Fiyero hummed softly and opened the door, showing her the largest bedroom she’d ever seen. “Oh…” Hazel eyes shimmered with sleepiness and awe, drinking everything in as he led her inside, keeping their fingers laced together. 

“Not bad, huh?” Blinking a few times, her eyes met his twinkling emerald ones. “It… it’s incredible! Th-this… this is the biggest bedroom I’ve ever seen.” Fiyero shrugged slightly, releasing her hand and opening his dresser. Red still dominated this room, too, but it seemed more comfortable to be in, not as tense in atmosphere. The four poster bed was king-sized, with lush pillows and what looked like expensive and comfortable blood red bedding. His dresser was made of hickory, stained black with silver handles. The room was clean, which was surprising. Even more surprising was the fact that he had no posters on his walls, no pictures. What made her eyes water was when she stepped closer to the bed, curious of the framed photo on his nightstand until she got a better view. It was her. The photo he took of her laughing, he printed and framed, and it faced his bed more than the rest of his room. 

Arms snaked around her waist, one of his hands holding a black shirt. “That doesn’t bother you, does it?” “Huh? Th-the photo?” Fiyero nodded, resting his head on her shoulder. “I wanted to be able to wake up to the most beautiful sight in the world, but… now that the real thing is here…” Raising his head, he turned her to face him and pressed his lips to hers. “I don’t think I want to close my eyes.” Lily’s heart slammed in her chest, her face heating. “I… I don’t…” He chuckled, deep in his chest and kissed her forehead. “This will probably be a little big on you, but you should be comfortable tonight. You can take the bed, I’ll take the sofa.” Nodding behind him, she could see he even had a sofa, red as well, against the far wall. She took the shirt he offered, biting her lip. 

“W-Wait,” Lily took his arm as he turned, shifting awkwardly. “C-Can you… can you s-stay with m-me as I sleep? I-I don’t… I don’t want to be alone.” Fiyero stroked her cheek, running his fingers through her hair. “Of course, love. I’ll be with you the entire time.” She turned into his touch, nodding slowly as her body felt heavier than usual. “The bathroom is to your left so you can change.”  _ So his bathroom is like mine and is attached to his room. _ “I… Okay, th-thank you.” Stepping into the bathroom, she once again marveled at the size of it before shaking her head and undressing, kicking her shoes and socks off first. Tile floor, marble with gold accents along the claw-foot tub and standing shower, even the covers over the lights sparkled, made of what Lily assumed was crystal. She took off her remaining clothing, leaving her underwear on and draping his shirt over her frame. It went to her thighs. Biting her lip, she left the bathroom, finding Fiyero already in bed, the blankets pulled back for her to get in. 

He was only in boxers. Silk boxers, red to match his hair perfectly. Emerald eyes connected with her hazel ones and just like the boutique, he did a double-take, a smile softening his features. “I didn’t think it was possible.” Confusion knit her eyebrows together as she shifted her weight. “Wh-what?” “Every time I look at you, you’re even more beautiful than the last time I saw you.” Lily covered her face with her hands, face scarlet as Fiyero adjusted, inching toward her and wrapping his fingers around a wrist, bringing her closer. “You have no idea what you do to me, darling. Come here.” He pulled her to the bedside. Bringing herself on the mattress, she trembled a little, both in worry for her sister and that she was staying with someone that wasn’t her. Bringing her to his chest, fingers threading through raven waves, Fiyero kept himself propped on his elbow to look directly at her. “You don’t have to be afraid of me, honey. I won’t force anything on you.” 

“N-No, I… I know,” her hands twisted together, looking from him to her fidgeting fingers. “I-I just…” Lily sighed, swallowing as she tried to keep herself calm. “I… I’m worried. A-About Cass, and… and you.” Fiyero tilted his head, confused. “Why me, darling? I’m not going anywhere. Not unless you’re coming with me.” A playful wink made her laugh softly and she took his hand, threading their fingers together. “I-I just meant… w-with the officer, you looked so angry that I…” A small worried sound stuck in her throat and he laid down facing her. “Darling, I want to tell you something, and please believe me when I do. You’re… I’ve never come across anyone like you. You’re quiet and reserved, you have a sharp tongue once you’re comfortable with others, and there’s so much  _ more  _ about you that I’m eager to learn about. So I hope you’ll forgive me for being selfish and wanting you solely to myself.”

She opened her mouth to speak when he continued, bringing her hand to his lips. “These hands, I want them touching only me. Your eyes that I could drown in,” a soft kiss was planted on each eyelid. “I want them looking only at me. And those lips,” Fiyero brought their lips together in a heated, passionate kiss, nipping her bottom lip. “I want them kissing only me. As for the mark I left, well…” he chuckled, deep in his chest, tilting his head to better look at the hickey. “I didn’t lie that I couldn’t help myself, but I also want anyone who looks at you to know that you’re mine. I guess that brings up a question I have for you then, love.” It struck her as unusual. No one ever wanted her, especially not for themselves. So Fiyero’s confession was nothing short of startling. “Wh-what is it?” Rubbing their noses together, he freed his hand to bring it to her cheek once more. “Will you forgive and allow me to be the possessive boyfriend?” 

Amusement shimmered in his eyes, but also curiosity, even a little worry. Slowly, Lily nodded, her hand resting over his on her cheek. “W-Will you… will you l-let me be the-the same way then?” Fiyero smiled brightly, pressing his lips to hers over and over again before hugging her to him. “I wouldn’t expect anything less, princess. Get some rest, honey. I’ll be here the whole time.” Wrapping her arm around him, she nuzzled closer, face to his neck as she closed her eyes. “Thank you… for staying with me.” Fiyero kissed her crown, smiling at her sleepy words and keeping his arm around her. Almost instantly, she was asleep. He shifted on his back, keeping her head on his chest when her leg draped over his. Closing his eyes, Lily’s deep, rhythmic breathing had him asleep soon after.

* * *

 

“Aww! Isn’t that sweet?” Jason’s voice startled Lily awake. She sharply inhaled, clutching Fiyero’s arm, not realizing her nails had dug in when he winced quietly. “Oh… oh god… I-I’m so sorry!” Jason started to snicker, not noticing she was trembling when Fiyero sat up and took her in his arms. “Honey, honey, it’s okay. You didn’t hurt me,” his emerald eyes narrowed at the blonde. “And you. Ever hear of knocking?” Shrugging, Jason plopped himself on Fiyero’s sofa, arms resting over the back. Lily was still shaking, clenching her eyes shut and biting the inside of her cheek.  _ It’s just Jason. Not your parents. They’re gone. They’re in prison.  _ “Darling, what is it? You’re shaking like a leaf.” Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes, peering up at his concerned green ones. “I, um…” The time was coming. Sooner or later, Lily knew she’d have to tell him, and it was looking like it’d have to be sooner. Vague understanding settled in his eyes and he kissed her crown, keeping his arms around her. “Starkweather, you ever do that again and I swear I’ll skin you alive.” 

Perplexed, Jason threw his hands in the air. “For what? Waking you sickening lovebirds? Pfft. I was bored and wanted to hang out.” Fiyero rolled his eyes and rubbed Lily’s arm. “No, you idiot. Look at her. You know she’s been through some shit, don’t you dare play as stupid as you look.” “N-No, it… it’s all right,” her soft voice wavered and she swallowed. “Y-You guys don’t know, s-so-” Jason’s face fell slightly. “Shit, Half-pint,” he leaned forward, sapphire eyes apologetic. “I didn’t… fuck. You gonna be all right?” She nodded, taking a deep breath as Fiyero hugged her again. “Next time, knock. Otherwise I  _ will  _ skin your ass.” Being only in his shirt and her underwear, she clutched the blanket around her more, her legs shifting as she straightened a little more. “What, um… what were you wanting to do, Jason?” Relaxing, the blonde bit his lip, eyes cast upward in thought. “Fuck, I dunno. We’re goin’ out later… Huh. Anyone feel like a movie?” 

Lily perked up a little, looking to Fiyero. “Can we?” Fiyero tilted her chin up to him, bringing his lips to hers. “I’d rather watch you, love, but if you want to watch a movie, you get to decide on which one.” She flashed a wide, happy smile as he stretched to the other nightstand and grabbed a remote. Two wall panels slid apart, exposing a large flat-screen TV. “It’s  _ huge _ !” Lily was in awe, the thing had to be at least a hundred inches. “That’s what she said,” Jason snickered, reclining on the sofa. “Just not to you,” she fired back, hazel eyes teasing. His blue eyes widened, mouth falling open unceremoniously and Fiyero roared with laughter. “Jesus Christ. Now you’re starting to sound like Fi.” Lily giggled, her boyfriend turning on the television and clicking a few buttons, showing a list of movies and categories, then handed the remote to her. “These buttons let you select either the movie or category, honey,” he explained, keeping her close. “And press this one once you’ve found what you want.” She nodded and he kissed her temple. 

After a few minutes of searching, Lily settled on a Disney movie, surprised that Fiyero had every one that had ever been made. “Brave?” Jason scoffed. “We’re seriously watching a Disney flick?” Instead of dragging out his protest, he got to his feet and sat on the floor a few feet away from the TV. “Fuck it. Fi, toss me a pillow.” “Excuse you?” Fiyero cocked an eyebrow. The movie was starting. “Y-You know, Jason, it… it wouldn’t kill you to say please once in awhile.” Blue eyes met hazel, eyes narrowing briefly before he let out an exaggerated sigh. “Ugh, fine. Fi, would you  _ please  _ toss me a pillow?” Snickering, the redhead grabbed one from behind them and drew his arm back to toss it when Lily stopped him. “L-Let me.” Taking the pillow, she saw the blonde have his hands open and waiting before he stopped. “Hold up, lemme get closer since you’ve got those short little arms.” Lily scoffed and, as he got to the edge of the bed, she smacked his face with the pillow full force, knocking him from his knees to his ass. 

“Oh the fuck!” Jason shook his head, clearing it, his face nothing short of surprised as Lily started cackling, burying her face in Fiyero’s chest, who was laughing with her. “You got some torque behind those arms, Half-pint. I’m impressed. You ever do any fighting?” Laughter subsiding, her expression sobered and she shook her head. “N-No, um… th-there’s… there’s another reason why. I, um…” “Slow down, short stack, I’m not tryin’ to dig up old shit. You ever wanna learn though, the offer stands.” Looking to Fiyero, both of them confused, they turned to the blonde, their heads tilted together. “What… what do you mean?” He shrugged. “I’ll teach you. You and Freckles- if you ever wanna learn, anyway.” “Jason, shut up and watch the movie,” Fiyero cut the conversation off, bringing Lily back with him as he reclined on the bed. 

Some time into the film, small little sniffing and swallowing noises could be heard coming from the floor. Fiyero cocked an eyebrow, looking to Lily, who shrugged. Quietly, the two sat up to see Jason, clutching the pillow to his chest, nuzzling his face against it. Fiyero put a finger to his lips, signaling Lily to keep silent. Nodding, she put a hand over her mouth to stifle the giggles. Fiyero crawled to the end of the bed noiselessly, peeking over the blonde’s head, a wide, amused smile spreading over his face. Emerald turned to meet hazel when he mouthed to her. “He’s crying.” Lily puffed out her lower lip, then buried her face in her hands, shoulders shaking with laughter. Fiyero rejoined her, the two snickering together as they paid more attention to Jason than to the movie itself. A few times, the blonde looked back and they quickly averted their gazes either to the movie or each other, giving him no clue that they’d seen him. 

His face was clear by the time the movie was over and he was on his feet, tossing the pillow at them and heading toward the door. “Not bad, Half-pint,” he said offhandedly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Could’ve been worse.” Snorting, Lily cocked an eyebrow at him. “It’s enough to move a man to tears, wouldn’t you say?” Fiyero started laughing and Jason realized that they’d been watching him the whole time. “You sonsabitches! Swear to god, short shit, you tell Freckles and I’ll-” “You’ll what? Cry again?” He clicked his tongue, giving her the finger as he opened the door. “Fuck you.” The glimmer of amusement in his blue eyes was enough to make Lily get one final word in as he left the room. “Nah, you’ll just end up hurting yourself!” The sound of him tripping over the rug could be heard as the door shut behind him. Wiping his eyes, Fiyero kissed Lily’s temple, then her cheek, then brought her face to his to leave a deep kiss on her lips. “I believe I promised my darling girlfriend a day out. Get dressed, love.” Lily nodded, bringing herself to kiss his cheek and was quickly in the bathroom to change.

* * *

 

The day was perfect considering the circumstances. Clear blue sky, warm sun giving the final rays of what was turning into a crisp autumn. Lily took in a deep breath as Fiyero kept his arm around her waist, Jason walking along her other side. Downtown was the older part of the city and had more interesting shops, but Fiyero insisted he’d take her Uptown as well. “Only the best for my princess,” he smiled, kissing her cheek as they stepped into a small coffee shop. “I’m gonna need a paper bag,” Jason groaned, his head falling back. “You two make me wanna hurl.” “Pfft,” Lily scoffed, cocking her eyebrow at the blonde. “This is coming from the supposed hardass who cried over a cartoon.” He threw her a dirty look. Unphased, she shrugged as Fiyero took her to the counter. “Any preference, honey? I’ll order for you.” Lily smiled softly, looking over the menu. “Uhm… surprise me? Anything light roast would be good.” 

Turning back to Jason, hands on her hips, she clicked her tongue. “Still feel like talking shit? Because I’ll tell Cass how much you cried during that movie,  _ and  _ that you cuddled a pillow pretending it was her.” Shoulders shaking with laughter, he threw her an amused stare. “You wouldn’t dare.” A devilish smile crept on her face and she called over her shoulder. “Baby?” Fiyero paid the barista, then wrapped his arms around Lily’s waist as he rested his head on her shoulder. “Yes, darling?” “C-Could we… do you think we could, um… maybe go to the hospital to see how Cass is doing?” Nodding, he kissed her cheek, turning to speak to the barista again. “Sure, honey. Whatever you want.” Jason’s jaw dropped, eyes widened in disbelief. “You little shit.” Lily snickered and threw a smug grin in his direction. “Don’t test me, hotshot.” 

“I said  _ light roast _ ,” Fiyero’s voice was angry, catching their attention. Blood red hair was illuminated like fire under the lamps of the shop, his eyes burning. “How hard is that to remember? I watched you write it down and you blatantly disregarded it! So help me, if you don’t fix this coffee, you won’t work in this town again.” “Get your boy, Half-pint,” Jason murmured, moving to find a seat. “No one else is able to deal with him when he goes Valley Girl. Maybe you can.” Lily bit her lip, hands trembling as she hesitantly approached her boyfriend. She hated it when people got angry. It scared her. “B-Baby?” Fiery green eyes snapped to her and softened, his arm wrapping around her waist and turned his attention back to the barista. “Now, since you can’t follow even the most  _ simple  _ instructions, want to explain to  _ my girlfriend  _ how incompetent you are?”

The barista was female, brown hair and eyes, looking as if she was ready to cry, but kept giving Fiyero hopeful stares. Something sparked in Lily, seething just beneath the surface. Hand to his cheek, she turned her boyfriend’s face to hers and stood on her toes, kissing him softly and giving him a sweet smile. Jealousy shining in large, brown eyes, the barista’s gaze bored into Lily, who was now leaning over the counter. “I… I asked for light roast be-because anything stronger makes me sick. C-Can you fix it?” Once the girl begrudgingly nodded, Lily raised her hand as she was turning to gain her attention once more. “Oh, and please… please get it right. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to calm down my doting boyfriend if it happens again.” Turning on her heel, the girl left their presence in a flash. Fiyero took Lily’s hand, bringing it to his lips and smiling teasingly. “You did that on purpose.” She giggled shyly, her head down before bringing her hazel eyes to his green ones. “M-Maybe a little.”

“I’ve been trying to get rid of her for  _ months _ ,” he groaned, resting his forehead on her shoulder. “She’s obsessed with me.” A sympathetic hum sounded in her throat and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, kissing the side of his neck. “Hmm, well… I-I can understand why, but…” Raising his head, he tilted it slightly in curiosity. “But what, honey?” Lily bit her lip, peering up at him shyly and hid her face against his chest. “But you’re mine,” she finally huffed. Fiyero laughed, arms around her in an embrace, cradling the back of her head. “Yes, I am, sweetheart.” Finally, their coffee was brought out. Three different ones, each marked with their names. Noticing next to his was a heart and a phone number, Fiyero slipped the piece from his cup and shredded it, holding eye contact with the barista the entire time. “Listen,  _ honey _ , I applaud you for trying, but if I wanted pathetic, I have plenty of other numbers that  _ aren’t  _ you.” With a sardonic smile and a wink, he tossed the shredded paper to the floor and draped his arm around Lily as Jason joined them. “Come on, darling, the stench of desperation is making me sick.”

Even Jason laughed as they left, but Lily noticed the girl was crying that time, making her feel conflicted. While she was ecstatic her boyfriend was faithful and even admitted it publicly, she knew it was cruel. “Ay, don’t sweat that shit, Half-pint,” Jason noticed her grim expression and tapped her shoulder. “Chick’s been asking for it before you ever showed up, and nice didn’t exactly work.” “What do you mean?” She asked softly, bringing the cup to her lips and sipping quietly. Fiyero sighed. “He means she’s too thick to take the hint.” Lily snorted. “That… that wasn’t supposed to be funny.” He winked and kissed her temple. “While it  _ is  _ true, seeing you smile is even better.” Red dusted over her nose, but her smile brightened, hazel eyes glittering. “C-Could you hold my coffee for me, baby? I-I wanna put my hair up.” Jason laughed again, shaking his head as Fiyero took her coffee. 

“Everyone’s gonna see that hellacious hickey, Half-pint.” Only mild concern flickered in her eyes before she shrugged. “But… but isn’t it all right? I-I mean, p-people know he and I are dating, so…” “Yeah, but you’re…” He trailed off for a moment, trying to find the words. “Fuck it. Half-pint, it’s no secret you’re a virgin, all right? I just thought maybe you’d get a little wigged out if people start talkin’ that you and Fi have started fucking already.” Hair up in a loose, wavy bun, Lily covered her face with her hands, completely scarlet. “I… I… W-Well, if… if it’s going to h-happen at some point anyway, th-then…” Jason coughed, clearing his throat roughly as Fiyero chuckled and kissed her cheek. “Fucking sounds crass, Jason,” he handed Lily’s coffee back as they turned a corner. “I think I like the idea of it being-” “Nope! I’m done! I’m fucking done! I can’t get a piece at this point, I don’t wanna hear about you two bangin’.” 

Lily and Fiyero put their foreheads together briefly, laughing as Jason continued to rant. The day seemed to be getting better the longer it went on. A hand knotted in her hair, yanking her backward, eliciting a small scream from her throat. Thrown down to the ground, she vaguely heard the angry shouts of Jason and her boyfriend when she looked up, expecting it to be that cute little brunette trying to settle the score. The reality was the opposite, and a nightmare. Hazel eyes locked onto two pairs of legs, drifting slowly upward before terror set in. Angry and panting, with more hatred than she’d ever seen, Lily felt her world crash around her the longer she stared into those two pairs of eyes. Her parents.


	11. Chapter 11

“Liliana,” the scorn from her mother’s voice set every nerve ending on fire, and Lily cowered, whimpering as footsteps came running toward them. “Lily! Sweetheart, are you all right!?” Fiyero was at her side in an instant, Jason stepping between them and her parents and called over his shoulder. “You hangin’ in there, Half-pint?” The second Fiyero put his arms around her, she clung to him, burying her face in his neck as she visibly quaked in fear. “D-Don’t… don’t let them t-take me.” “Who do you think you are,  _ boy _ ?” Her father sneered at the blonde as her mother tried to step around him to get to Lily. “Me?” Jason held his ground, blue eyes hardened and dark as he stared the couple down. “I’m nobody, just a friend who’s going to knock your fucking teeth in if you come near her again.” Fiyero picked her up, hand on the back of her head and kept her close, his heavy, steady breathing drowning out the hammering of her panicked heart. 

Her mother’s hand reached out, around Jason, who shoved her back. “Last thing I wanna do is hit a chick, but sister, you’re fucking testing it.  _ Back the fuck off _ .” Incensed, her mother crossed her arms over her chest, her father taking him by the collar. “She’s our daughter,” she snapped. “And if you know what’s good for you,” her father sneered, getting nose to nose with him. “You’ll stand aside and let us handle our little brat.” Lily whimpered, quaking as tears fell, but her head rose. “I… I c-can’t let them h-hurt J-Jason,” whispering, her hazel eyes met Fiyero’s green ones, finding them both enraged and unnerved. “Darling, no. No, I won’t let them hurt you. Just…” Inhaling a deep breath, he pressed a deep kiss to her forehead, bringing them to their feet. Jason shoved her father from him, tearing his shirt. 

“Son of a bitch! That was my favorite shirt!” Drawing his fist back, Jason threw his weight into the punch, connecting his knuckles with her father’s cheekbone, sending him sprawling to the ground. Quickly picking himself up, the two began to scuffle, and her mother turned her attention back to Lily. “Look at what you’ve done, you filthy little whore! Are you fucking both of them?” Fiyero stepped in front of her, shielding her from her mother as she cried. “And who are you, her pimp?” Lily choked on a sob, feeling him tense in front of her. “You could use a little education in manners, seeing as that you have none. Speak to my girlfriend like that again and whatever authority you  _ think  _ you hold will disappear entirely. Have a nice day,  _ ma’am _ .” Outraged, her mother’s eyes widened. “How dare you, you insolent little bastard! Liliana is coming with me, whether you like it or not.” “How about not?” Fiyero didn’t move, crossing his arms over his chest and squaring his shoulders. “Lily is staying with me for as long as she chooses.” 

“Oh, she is, is she?” Lily couldn’t take it anymore. Holding onto Fiyero’s arm, she stepped from behind him to his side, barely meeting her mother’s enraged face. “M-Mom, what… what are you doing h-here? H-How… how did you and d-dad get… get out of prison?” The laughter from her mother sent chills down her spine. “You really are worthless, Liliana. How do you think? Our bail’s been paid, now we’re skipping town, and  _ you’re  _ coming with us.” Shaking her head, she clung to Fiyero even more. “N-No.” “What did you just say to me?” A few more tears fell and her boyfriend wrapped his arm around her waist. “I… I said n-no. C-Cass and… and the Elworth’s legally a-adopted me. Y-You c-can’t… you can’t m-make me go.” Her mother snarled, snatching her wrist and jerking her forward. “You’re coming and that’s final, you stupid bitch!” “That’s enough!” Fiyero gently pulled Lily back, holding her tight against his chest, rubbing her back comfortingly. “She said no, take the hint and get lost.” 

Looking to where her father and Jason had started fighting, Lily saw Jason standing. He had a black eye and a busted lip, but otherwise, he wasn’t hurt. Smiling, he dusted himself off, cocking his head toward them. “You heard them. No means no. Got a lot of nerve calling her stupid when you can’t even understand two fuckin’ letters put together. It’s called a ‘word’. Learn it.” Fiyero’s shoulders shook briefly, laughing at Jason’s remark. “This isn’t over. One way or another, Liliana  _ will  _ be coming with her father and I, and we’re leaving this hellhole. Get the hell up, Thomas!” Her father rolled on the ground, groaning and clutching his ribs as Jason stood in front of Lily, panting, spitting blood at her parents. “Good fucking luck,” he spat and wiped his mouth. “Come near her again, and I’ll gut you like the fucking cow you are.” Fiyero nudged him as her parents left. “I’ll have it handled, Jason,” unable to see his face, her own still hidden against his chest, she knew he was furious. The utter calm from him terrified her. “Sweetheart, it’s all right now. I won’t let them hurt you. I’m here, love.”

Nodding, Lily wrapped her arms around him, violently shaking as he held her. “I’m s-so s-sorry,” her hold tightened around him, afraid if she let go, he’d disappear completely. “If… if y-you w-want to-to leave, I-” Fiyero took her hair down, cradling the back of her head, holding her tighter than she held him. It was enough to make her lose her breath. “This isn’t your fault, princess. None of this is your fault. I don’t want to leave, and  _ I’ll never let them take you. _ ” Still in shock, Lily couldn’t find any words to reply. Instead, she hid her face further in his chest, her crying slowing to sniffles. “Man, I’ve heard of some shit parents. Hell, I  _ have  _ shit parents, but fuck, Half-pint… what the hell?” “I think she’s had enough today, Jason. We should probably go.” Slowly, she leaned back, shaking her head. “N-No. We… we were h-having fun and… and I-I still w-want to. If… if you do, too, that is.” Fiyero’s emerald eyes found her hazel, pursing his lips in thought. “All right, darling. If you really want to stay out for awhile longer, we will.” 

“J-Jason needs… h-he needs a new shirt, a-anyway, and… and I don’t know th-the area that well. Where… where are some good places to go?” “Yeah!” Lily turned to see Jason smiling through his wounds, clapping her on the back. “Now, see Fi, you could learn something from Half-pint here. That’s a bro.” Lily snorted, her shaking subsiding as Fiyero wrapped his arm around her waist. “Well, when you have boobs bigger than mine-” “Ay! They're  _ pecs _ , thank you!” She giggled at his outburst, hand over her mouth to stifle it. “Yeah, yeah. I'll have you know these pecs get plenty of chicks banging down my door.” “Slow down there, Johnny Bravo, the exit door isn't exactly something to be proud of.” His mouth fell open while her boyfriend was almost in hysterics. “Are you with me or against me?” Jason pouted, pushing his hair back and crossing his arms over his chest. “Thought you were hookin’ me up with your sister.” The laughter in her chest dwindled and she pat his arm. “Oh, I am, but I think you need to tone down the He-Man warrior look,” Lily pinched her fingers together in example. “Just a smidge.” 

Giving her a deadpan expression, he huffed, shaking his head as they started walking again. “Yep, she’s back.” Fiyero chuckled and kissed her cheek, her face tinged pink. “She’s not wrong. I can’t take you anywhere looking like you went Rambo in the middle of the street. Sorry, Jason honey, but I think Tarzan wants his title back.” Lily erupted into peals of laughter, her arm around his back, turning her face to his arm and letting him guide her. “Jesus fuck, you two are carbon fucking copies of each other. Freckles needs to get better soon so I can have someone on my team.” The couple snickered, and she turned teasing hazel eyes up to Jason’s blue ones. “Aww, is the widdle pupper not enjoying his walkies?” He huffed, but Lily saw the corners of his mouth twitch upward. Fiyero and Jason knew their way around the area well enough to bring her to an outdoor mall, different stores aligned all around them. 

“Hell yeah,” Jason pointed to one store in particular, men’s clothing displayed in the window. “Ay, Fi, mind slidin’ me a couple bucks so I can get somethin’?” “Oh, wait,” Lily stopped, reaching into her pocket and pulled a few folded bills from it. “This… this should cover it. And… keep whatever’s left.” Handing it to him, he unfolded and counted what she’d given. “Half-pint, there’s a hundred bucks here.” She shrugged, smiling softly. “I, um… what-what you did… back there… N-Not many would have… stuck up for me like that. S-So…” “So I’m a hitman for hire, huh?” He nudged her playfully with his elbow, tucking the money in his jeans. “Don’t sweat it, small fry, bastard had it coming anyway.” Jogging to the store, he throws his hand up and calls over his shoulder. “Thanks, Half-pint! I owe ya one!” Flustered, Lily shook her head, unable to reply as he’d ran into the store. Fiyero laughed quietly beside her. “You didn’t have to do that, love,” his voice was soft as he stroked her cheek, pressing his forehead to her temple. “I could have went with him and bought what he needed. Last time I gave him  _ any  _ money, he spent over a thousand on something that’s broken now.” 

She turned, their foreheads resting against one another, peering up at him. “I… I didn’t mind. It… it’s p-part of the allowance Cass’ parents leave for us, or send electronically while they’re away.” He tilted her face up to his and left a gentle kiss on her lips, smiling thoughtfully. “I can’t say that I mind, though. Now I can finally have some time alone with you again.” Lily giggled shyly, the pink returning to her cheeks and bit her lip. “Th-that… I-I kind of w-wanted that, too.” Taking her hand, he threaded his fingers with hers, bringing her to the first shop they came across. An exotic pet store. Lily saw various animals, her eyes lighting up as she gazed at each one. “Do you like animals, sweetheart?” Looking to Fiyero, she nodded, a small smile on her face. “I-I love them. I’ve never had a pet before, and… and I always like going to shops and adoption centers to play with them.” His smile was a knowing one, pulling her to him as he opened the door to the shop. “Come on, let’s go inside.” 

Lily’s smile widened, happily following him inside. The shop was bigger than other ones she’d been in, having signs pointing to what animal was where and even an adoption center on the side wall. Birds, lizards, animals of almost every variety were inside, their noises filling the air. Around each enclosure were different types of food and medicines, basics for proper care. “I… I don’t know where to start,” her eyes glittered, holding onto Fiyero’s hand as she gazed around. “There’s… so much.” “Let’s go over there, then,” he nodded to the closest group of animals, the birds, leading her to them as a squeal stuck in her throat. Designed to resemble their rainforest homes, she marveled at each and every color on their feathers, giggling when a parrot jumped from its perch and inched its way to her. Green, with a red chest and blue wings. A Harlequin macaw. Fiyero stood behind her, watching with a smile and curiosity as she held her finger out. 

“He’s so cute!” The parrot walked on her finger, tilting its head at her and sliding down her hand and across her arm. “ _ So cute!”  _ The bird repeated her and she giggled as it perched on her shoulder. Hazel eyes found emerald, completely amused and wrapping his arm around her waist. “How do you know it’s a he, love? How can you tell?” “Oh,” Lily pointed inside, showing him the same bird, but more brown in color, dulled slightly. “You see that one? How it’s a bit duller than the one on my shoulder?” When he nodded, she continued. “I read it in a bird book. Males are usually brighter colored than their female counterparts.” Suddenly, a bright smile spread across his face. “Wh-what?” Cheeks pink again, he kissed her forehead and ran his fingers through her hair. “Just admiring you, darling. I was right. Beautiful  _ and  _ brilliant. How did I get so lucky?”

Her face flashed scarlet as she tucked her head down, laughing quietly when he tilted her chin up to look him in the eye once more. “I… I’m just… I’m just me. I-I don’t…” Lips to her forehead, Fiyero inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of her flowery shampoo and Lily felt tension leaving him, his shoulders visibly relaxing. When he pulled away, he stared at the parrot for a few moments, then nodded to the rest of the store. “Did you want to look around a little more?” “I, um… Y-Yeah, I… I’d like that.” The moment she tried to remove the parrot from her shoulder, it moved to the other one. A light laugh escaped as he watched and he tilted his head slightly. “I guess he’s coming with us, then.” Hazel eyes widened, immediately checking the price. Four thousand dollars. Immediately, tears stung her eyes and she shook her head. “F-Fiyero, I… I-I…” While his smile softened to an affectionate one, the look in his eyes left her speechless. Fiyero brought her hand to his lips, then left gentle kisses on her eyelids. 

“As I said, darling, I want to give you the world.” Waving offhandedly around the store, he laced his fingers with hers again, leading her around. “And if that means you want a menagerie, love, you’ll have it.” A small whimper stuck in her throat, a tear sliding down her cheek. “I… N-No one’s ever… done…  _ any  _ of this for me. Y-You don’t… you don’t have to-to do this, Fiyero.” His emerald eyes twinkled happily, giving her a light wink. “I want to, darling, because beauty needs to be appreciated and cared for, and I promise to make you this happy for the rest of your life.” Lily’s breath hitched, stunned speechless again as her heart slammed, pulse thrumming in her ears. She barely noticed the other animals inside the shop when one in particular caught her attention. Foxes, kits especially. 

Lily cooed, watching them play, the various reds and whites running around and jumping on one another. One in particular caught her attention. Huddled alone, fast asleep, and small. “Oh… I think it's the runt of the litter,” it was an absentminded comment, but it caught Fiyero's attention. “Did you want to hold it, love?” Instinctively, she nodded. “I… I've always loved baby animals, they're so sweet and innocent.” A tease glittered in his emerald eyes and he smiled again. “Like you, then.” Her mouth fell open, but she couldn't help the short laughter, her smile mirroring his own. “M-Maybe a little,” she admitted, the pink staying in her cheeks. “Do you… do you l-like that?” “Hm? Your innocence, love?” When she nodded, a different sort of smile graced his face, his eyes having a more dreamlike quality. Fiyero waved over one of the employees, his focus never leaving her, and stroked her cheek with almost reverence. “More than you know, darling.”

“You kids need something?” The employee was a little older than them, wiping his hands off on his smock as he looked over them both. “My girlfriend wants to hold one of the foxes here,” Fiyero pointed to the sleeping one first. “That one.” Taking the keys from his belt loop, the employee unlocked the enclosure and stepped inside, picking up the sleeping runt, causing it to whine as it woke. Lily felt as if her heart would burst the moment the man held the kit to her and taking it into her arms, cradling it close to her heart. “That’s the runt,” the employee said offhandedly. “Didn’t expect it to live the first few weeks after it was born. Surprisingly strong little fella.” Smiling down at the kit, the parrot on her shoulder, it was the happiest she’d been in a long time. She waggled her fingers in front of it, causing it to bat at them with its tiny paws. 

She couldn’t stop her laughter, watching over it with a wide smile. Fiyero pulled his card from his shirt pocket, holding it up with two fingers. “We’ll take both, and anything else that goes along with care and raising them. What my queen wants, she gets.” Feeling her heart skip a few beats, Lily’s gaze whirled to her boyfriend, who had his phone to his ear, smiling softly at her. The employee nodded, without a word, taking his card and maneuvered around the store, grabbing various odds and ends as Fiyero started speaking. “I need the SUV brought to Sage Exotics… yes, the pet store… listen, does my mother pay you to ask questions? No, she doesn’t. Just… bring the car.” He quickly hung up and put his phone away, his arm around her waist once more. “F-Fiyero, this… this is all t-too much. Is there… is there a-anything I can do to-to thank you? Or… or repay you? Somehow?” 

“Being with you is more payment than I deserve, honey,” his reply was affectionate as he brought his lips to her forehead again, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “I want to do this. I want to give you anything and everything you could ever dream of. Isn’t it the prince’s duty to take care of his princess?” She wanted to protest, but the way he cupped her cheek had her turning into his touch, biting her lip in her nervousness. “I… I don’t… I don’t know what to say.” His smile remained gentle and he bit his lip, glancing to the register to see the employee had everything ready. The car was pulling up front. “You don’t have to say anything, darling. Seeing your smile says everything.” The driver of the SUV had stepped into the store, a haggard looking man. Searching for someone, his eyes lit up when he found Fiyero and closed the distance between them. “I’m assuming these are what I’m taking back to the house, sir?” “The bird, the fox, and the supplies at the counter.” With a nod, he gently took the animals from Lily, putting them into their carriers and loaded them into the car first. 

After everything had been loaded into the car, the driver stopped for a moment. “Was there anything else, sir?” “No,” Fiyero was casual, offhanded as he kept his arm around Lily, his focus never leaving her face. “That’ll be all. Take them to the house and make sure someone sets them up properly.” “Yes, sir.” He left. Fiyero retrieved his card from the employee and took Lily’s hand, walking with her outside to find Jason still hadn’t left the men’s clothing store. “Well, the cops aren’t there and he hasn’t called. He must be fine.” Giggling, she wrapped her arm around his back, wondering where he’d take her next. She didn’t wonder long, as the next door he opened was to a bookstore. Lily loved to read. She loved the smell of books and getting herself lost in different stories, even writing some of her own. Ones she never showed anyone, only Cass ever knew that she wrote anything. 

The moment they entered, she took a deep breath as a relaxed smile settled on her face. “I haven't been inside a bookstore since I was a child,” her voice was breathy, glancing around with a look of wonder on her face. Fiyero tilted his head to hers, walking between the various shelves, his smile still there. “Well, I noticed you bring a book with you to school every day, so I thought you'd enjoy this.” Lily nodded happily, her fingertips trailing admiringly down the spines of several novels as they passed. “Oh, I love to read, but I really love writing more.” Eyebrows raising slightly, his smile widened into a knowing one. “Really? And what do you like to write?” “Lots of stuff. It used to be poetry, but lately I've really been trying to write my own stories. Fantasy, mostly.” He nodded along with what she said, his eyes roaming the store as he bit his lip. “Is… is something wrong?” 

“Hm? Not at all, darling,” kissing her temple, the knowing look still on his face, he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear again. “Your birthday’s coming up soon, isn't it?” “Y-Yeah, it… it is. Wh-why do you ask?” Chuckling quietly, Fiyero kissed her knuckles and winked at her. “It’s a surprise, love.” Her curiosity piqued, anxious and excited. Lily smiled softly, pink dusting over her nose as they wandered to the journals. Pens, quills and ink, even letter sets with wax seals surrounded them, enthralling her completely. Hazel eyes sparkling, a wide smile spread over her face as she went over each one she came across. One in particular caught her eye, a large journal that looked to be made from hand-bound leather, the cover etched with intricate designs. The pages inside were stained to look ancient, the edges rimmed in gold. “Oh my god,” she spoke in hushed wonder as she thumbed through the massive thing. “This is so beautiful. I feel like I’m touching magic.” “It’s yours.” 

Heart in her throat, Lily clutched the journal to her chest, eyes bloodshot with unshed tears as she stared at him. “I… I… Wh-what?” Wrapping his arms around her, he pressed a deep kiss to her forehead, his lips lingering before he leaned back, tilting her chin up to him. “It’s yours,” he repeated softly. She sniffed, wiping her eyes when he released her and checked the back for the price. Over three hundred dollars. Lily yelped, tears escaping rapidly. “F-Fiyero, I…” Unable to find any words, she tucked her head down, bringing her face to his chest and cried softly. “Y-You have to let me know if there’s anything,  _ anything _ , I can do to repay you for this. I-I can’t… I can’t take advantage of you.” “And you’re not, darling,” he cupped her cheeks, wiping the tears away as he tilted her face up to his. “There’s nothing for you to repay, either. Whatever it takes to keep you happy, it’s yours.” Choking on a laugh, she brought a shaking hand up, threading it through his crimson hair. “M-Maybe I should be th-the one asking how I got s-so lucky. B-But you… you make me happy, and… and you don’t have t-to buy me anything for that.”

A flicker of surprise flashed in his emerald eyes, quickly softening into an affectionate smile. “I’m simply giving you the attention you deserve, honey.” She hugged him. One arm holding the journal, her free arm wrapped around his shoulders as she stood on her toes, her face in the crook of his neck, kissing the spot where it met his shoulder. A few moments had passed before they went to the cashier, Lily covering her eyes at the sight of the price, then leaving to explore further. Finally, Jason seemed to be finished and caught up with them, wearing the new shirt he’d bought. “Damn,” he tossed his old shirt in the trash, glancing over the two of them. “I took that long and all Half-pint’s got is a book?” Her eyebrows knit together, her expression deadpan. “It’s a journal. Maybe it’s time to put down the peroxide.” “Ay! Come on, man,” Jason huffed, staring down at her with an exasperated expression. “You’re supposed to be the bro and hook me up with your sister!” 

“And did you ever take that prescription you were given?” Confusion lit on both boys’ faces and he shook his head. “Prescription?” He scratched the back of his head, tilting it slightly. “What prescription?” Without missing a beat, Lily huffed at him. “The one you need to man up. It’s called gro-a-cet.” Fiyero was in a fit of laughter, even Jason choked out a laugh, shaking his head. “You really know how to cut a guy down, don’t ya, Half-pint? Tongue that sharp should be illegal.” Finally catching his breath, her boyfriend kissed her temple, pulling her close. “You never cease to amaze me, love.” She giggled quietly. Clearing her throat, she stared up at the blonde again. “All right, pup, listen well. Right now, she’s in the hospital, and you’re coming with us to go see her. But before that, you’ve got some shit to do.” His head tilted to the other side, and Lily’s first thought was a dog all over again. “Yeah? Like what?” 

“You’re going to need to pick up a few things,” casting her gaze around, her eyes locked on Fiyero’s green ones. “Do you know of any New Age shops around here, baby?” He bit his lip, thinking for a brief instant before his eyes lit up. “I know of a few, actually, darling.” Lily smiled and kissed his cheek, turning back to Jason. “This is perfect. Okay, you’re going to put together a gift basket for her.” The blonde looked bewildered, blue eyes shimmering with confusion. “I… shit, all right. What do I need to get?” “Hmm… a few crystals, for starters. She’s big into natural healing through the Earth’s natural energies.” He started to snicker when Lily hit him. “You want the girl or not?” Putting his hands up in a surrender, he nodded. “Jesus! Yeah, I do, but fuck! You gotta hit me for it?” “I’m hitting you for whatever smartass comment you were about to say.” Jason rubbed his arm where she hit, looking every bit like a thoroughly kicked puppy. “Damn, the shorter they are, the more violent they get.” 

“The evil is heavy, now, start memorizing unless you can take notes.” Jason immediately pulled out his phone, bringing up the memo app. “I’m shit with remembering things. All right, lemme have it.” “You’re going to need selenite, aventurine, turquoise, hematite, and jade crystals. Don’t go overboard, they get expensive.” After he typed it all in, he shook his head, still confused. “And what are all these for?” “They’re all essentially for healing, Jason,” Fiyero wrapped his arms around Lily’s waist, his head on her shoulder. “Along with other properties.” The blonde sighed, but nodded, blue eyes searching hazel. “What else?” Rubbing her boyfriend’s arm as she thought, a few other things came to mind. “Candles. Scented ones are great, but don’t go overboard. Uhm… sweet basil and citrus is good, there’s also lavender.” She watched him typing rapidly, waiting for him to finish. “You’re going to want the same for incense, and buy a smudge stick. It’s sage or cedar or spruce. Get sage. Oh! One last thing. She loves tea. Anything strong and bitter.” She smacked his arm with a smile, her eyes teasing. “Just like you, hotshot!” 

Despite her teasing, his smile widened as he finished typing. Tucking his phone away, he clapped her on the shoulder. “Thanks, Half-pint. I-” “You owe me a hundred, not just one,” but she laughed, turning to wrap her arm around Fiyero’s back again. “Are you coming with us or are you taking off again?” He pat his pocket with a smirk, causing change to rattle. “I’ve still got plenty from ya, short stack, I think I’ll head to the shop myself. I’ve seen a few to know what one looks like.” When he took off, Fiyero exhaled heavily. “I thought he’d never leave.” Snickering, her eyes met his emerald ones. “Did you not want the extra company?” His smile was a teasing one, almost wicked. “Darling, I’m a selfish man. I’ll take any chance I can get to have you all to myself.” She squeaked, burying her face in his chest and making him laugh. When she peered up at him, her face was crimson. 

“I… Uhm… I-I think I like that idea, too.” Her voice was soft, shy, barely able to look at him when he kissed her forehead, a deep chuckle in his throat. “Come on, love, let’s get you those clothes I promised.” With a meek nod, Lily chewed her lip, keeping her arm around him as they walked around, finding a Victoria’s Secret/Pink department store. “I… I didn’t think one of these existed outside of an indoor mall,” she breathed, staring at the displays. Nudging her, Fiyero nodded to the entrance. “Did you want to go inside?” “Mhm,” Lily nodded again, eyes bright and curious. “Yes, please.” Threading their fingers together, Fiyero took a step forward as she bashfully followed. It showed more lingerie than clothing, but it was only for a couple days. Trying to quell the guilt inside her at him spending so much on her already, she swore to only pick out a few things at most. 

Feeling a little insecure, Lily kept her head tucked down, searching through the clothing first.  _ I might have to avoid the underwear altogether. _ Several females were inside, and she felt as if they were staring at her, judging her. She never liked her appearance, thinking she was too fat for anything inside stores like that one. What made matters worse were the wistful stares those girls were casting at her boyfriend. If Fiyero noticed, he ignored them entirely, giving only Lily his attention. “There’s a face I was hoping to avoid.” Inhaling sharply, hazel met emerald and he cupped her cheek, thumb brushing over the skin. “What’s the matter, sweetheart? Anything I can fix?” 

“I… I just… I-I don’t know if any of this is really… me,” she shifted her weight, barely able to look at him. “I… I’m too…” Sighing, her gaze finally met his, her eyes pained. “I’m not… thin enough… for any of this.” Bewilderment stuck in his own eyes with a brief shake of his head. “Darling, please tell me you’re joking.” When she didn’t answer, he pulled her to him, holding her against his chest. “You don’t know what you do to me, you truly don’t. You’re radiant, love, with a body that makes me absolutely crazy. And the lengths I go to to restrain myself, I…” Pulling back, he tilted her face up to his, their lips pressed together in a kiss that threatened to set her on fire. Nipping her lip and eliciting a gasp, his tongue met hers as his hands slid down her sides. While one gripped her hip, the other rose and cradled the back of her head. Lily melted into that kiss, running her fingers through his hair and causing him to sigh in content. 

As their lips parted, she found herself panting, blinking slowly up at him. “You’re perfect, darling, and you should be treated as such.” His smile was soft, stroking her hair affectionately. The kiss certainly worked to clear her mind, allowing her to pick up her journal and browse through everything. Knowing she’d need a shower, she chose a few different sets of lingerie to go under her clothes, picking out the pants and shirts she liked the best. “Uhm, b-baby? C-Could you… could you hold my journal for me? I-I wanted to try these on.” Still a gentleman, Fiyero took the journal and kissed her cheek. “Absolutely, love. I’ll be here waiting.” Fidgeting a little, her cheeks flushed and she bit her lip, nodding. Inside the changing room, she started to change when she hit a snag. One of the shirts she picked had a zipper down the back, and she couldn’t reach to finish.  _ Shit _ . Hesitantly, she poked her head from the dressing room, giving him a shy smile. “B-Baby? C-Can you… help me? I-I can’t get this to zip up all the way.”

“Sure, honey.” The moment he stood, her heart flew in her throat. She’d gotten so distracted, she didn’t think to put the pants on. Lily hurriedly grabbed one, but by the time she’d started to put them on, he walked in.  _ Fuck _ . Bent forward slightly, her back was to him. Swallowing nervously, she turned to see him taking in her appearance. Her face was scarlet as she rubbed the back of her neck, laughing shakily as he approached. “I… Uhm…” His emerald eyes were hooded, breath catching in his throat. Fiyero swallowed, shaking his head as if to clear it. “Sweetheart, you…” She shifted again, meeting his dreamlike stare with an anxious one. She left him speechless. “You are so  _ beautiful _ , darling. You’re incredible.” She began to fidget again, twisting her fingers in her hair when he took her shaking hands into his steady ones. “Remember what I said, love?” Lily nodded, finally keeping her gaze with his. “O-Only… only when I-I’m ready.” 

Fiyero’s expression softened, a tenderness shining in his eyes that made her relax. “That’s right, honey. Will you turn for me?” “I… Y-Yeah.” He kissed her knuckles as she turned. Pulling her hair over her shoulder, Lily heard his breath catch again. She tensed as his fingertips brushed between her shoulder blades, flinching when his lips pressed to the spot.  _ The scar _ . One of the many parting gifts her parents had left her. Her eyes stung when he spoke, threatening to spill over. “You’re more beautiful than anything I’ve ever known, darling.” The knot in her throat caused her to whimper when he zipped her shirt and turned her to face him. Tilting her face up to his, his other hand danced down her side and brushed her thigh. Emerald eyes seemed to be filled with questions, darkened and hardening as his jaw flexed. “Sweetheart, I promise I’ll make it to where you’ll never be hurt again, all right?” Even his tone had darkened, rage simmering beneath the surface. 

Nodding, she stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, face in the crook of his neck and pressing soft kisses along the vein. Fiyero held her tight against his chest, his breathing steady and even. Lily couldn’t see the murderous glare in his eyes, setting them ablaze with untold fury. By the time she pulled back, he quickly masked it, a soft smile on his lips as he brought theirs together. Gentle at first, her fingers were in his hair as his continued to dance along her sides, tracing lower and brushing the skin of her thighs. Pressing against him, the kiss deepened and he backed her against the wall, bringing his lips to her neck and sucking at the skin. Closing her eyes, Lily tilted her head to give him more room, her breathing heavy when he bit down, causing her to whimper. Heat swirled through her, settling low when he pulled back. She wanted to whine and pull at him. “Did I hurt you, honey?” 

“I… N-No. No, y-you didn’t… you didn’t hurt me.” Disappointed, panting, she rubbed her thighs together, biting her swollen lip as a flush settled across her nose. Fiyero smirked, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead. “I just needed to be sure, love,” he brought his lips to her ear, leaving a tiny peck on the lobe. “You make it so easy to lose myself, darling.” Lily put her palm to her forehead, exhaling heavily as she peered up at him. “Y-You do it to me, too,” she replied bashfully. “Is… is that a bad thing?” He laughed, his smile widening and bringing her to his chest again, holding her. “Not at all, sweetheart, but I still need to be sure when you’re ready.” Something in her heart twisted. The only other person who never pushed her was Cass. Holding onto him a little tighter, she turned her face to his chest and took a deep breath. “I… I think I need to finish dressing.” Laughing softly, he pressed his lips to her crown, pulling away and started removing tags from what she had on. “I’ll take care of these, love. I’ll be right outside if you need me.” 

After he left the dressing room, Lily hurriedly chose a pair of pants, sliding them on and put her socks and shoes back on. Carrying her old clothes as well as the others she’d selected, she saw he was right outside the door, tags in hand as he waited for her. “Are you ready, love?” She nodded, shifting the clothes around, placing the ones she wanted on top, walking with him to the register. “Fi, I didn’t think I’d see-” Raising her head, Lily locked eyes with the one person she didn’t want to see. Amanda. The utter hatred and disdain the blonde held in her eyes was palpable as she stared at her. “I didn’t think you’d be slumming it for this long, Fi. I’m still waiting for that phone call, and you never did return my texts.” Tossing her hair around, Lily wanted nothing more than to smack the smug face right off her. “I’m changing my number.” Fiyero wrapped his arm around Lily’s waist, pushing her hair from her neck and smiling thoughtfully. While it made her feel a little better, she couldn’t stifle the nausea bubbling in her throat. “Let me ask you something, Amanda,” Hazel eyes narrowed maliciously, setting her things on the counter and leaning toward her. “Would I find you in housewares or the grocery section?” Confusion made the blonde’s eyebrows knit together, but still, the haughty expression remained. “What are you talking about?” 

“Oh, I just want to know if someone needs to replace you like Shake ‘n Bake or if you’re the doorknob that gives everyone a turn.” Fiyero laughed, head on her shoulder as Amanda’s mouth fell open. “Pick a career,  _ sweetie _ ,” Lily wasn’t done with her. “Keep your mouth open any longer and more bugs will fly in.” “You little  _ bitch _ !” Stepping from the counter, she tried to smack Lily when she grabbed her wrist and twisted it, bringing the blonde to her knees. “I’ve dealt with nightmares you can’t even begin to think up. Come near my boyfriend again and the next place you’ll be is the trash.” At that moment, the manager almost ran to them. “What’s going on here?!” Lily released Amanda, crossing her arms over her chest. “She just tried to assault me when I needed to pay for my clothes.” Immediately apologetic, the manager put her hands up as if in a surrender. “Please don’t sue us! Would you like a discount on anything in the store?” 

Fiyero’s arms were around Lily’s waist, head on her shoulder. “She doesn’t need a discount,” he said offhandedly. “But if this is the way you let your employees treat customers, I’ll see this place buried. You know my mother,  _ Karen _ .” The manager, wide-eyed, glared daggers at Amanda. “Amanda, get your things and clock out. You’re fired. Fiyero, honey, I am so sorry. There’s no need to mention this to Maria, is there?” He shrugged, kissing Lily’s cheek. “That depends on my love here. What do you think, sweetheart?” She sighed as the blonde picked herself up and started protesting. “I don’t appreciate being verbally assaulted then almost physically struck when I’m trying to shop. My day’s been bad enough without…” she gestured to Amanda with nothing less than a sneer. “This.” The manager, Karen, nodded emphatically and went to the register. “Everything you want is on me, dear,” taking the tags, she punched in a few codes. “That includes body sprays, lotions, any of it. Amanda, you’ve been told once to get out. Do I need to have you forcibly removed from the premises?” Without another word, Amanda took off, her face red and cheeks wet. Lily felt a pang of guilt mingling with the satisfaction of her smug grin being gone. 

“You’re vicious, darling,” Fiyero’s voice was in her ear and she smirked slightly, unable to quell the guilt. “I… I suppose so, but…” Turning her, he tilted her face up to his and kissed her cheek. “But nothing, honey. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Lily nodded softly as her things were bagged up, not knowing Amanda watched them just outside, her phone to her ear. “Jonathan? It’s Amanda. You still have a thing for that Lily girl, don’t you?” 

* * *

 

After lunch, Lily, Fiyero, and Jason went to the hospital to see if Cass was allowed any visitors. Thankfully, visiting hours had just begun, which meant they were let through once they’d signed in. Lily couldn’t stifle the giggles at the sight of Jason, carrying a wicker basket that she could fit in on her own, filled with everything she told him to buy. “How much did you even buy, anyway?” He shrugged, shifting the large basket from one hand to the other. “All of it.” Lily snorted. When they arrived at her door, they froze. As though each one of them started reliving that night all over again, tension heavy in the air until Lily swallowed the knot in her throat, opening the door. 

A TV quietly droned on inside the room, Cass’ expression one of utter boredom until her eyes connected with her sister’s. “Baby! You’re here!” Aqua eyes glittered happily, her smile wide and bright as she opened her arms. Fiyero and Jason followed her inside, shutting the door behind them. “I was wondering when you’d show up!” Laughing softly, Lily sat on the bed with her, arms around one another in an embrace neither of them wanted to break. Hazel eyes stung, and when she pulled back, Cass’ aqua ones were surrounded in red. “H-How… how a-are you feeling?” She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from crying. An IV drip stuck in her arm, as well as bandages from various shots and the transfusion. “Tired,” she admitted softly, holding her sister’s hand. To Lily, it felt like ice, colder than her own. “Better, but tired.” That was when she seemed to notice the new clothes. “Those are nice, baby. Did you just get those?” Lily fidgeted, not quite meeting her eyes and glanced to Fiyero in a silent plea. 

“After we brought you here,” he took Lily’s hand in his, emerald eyes locked with aqua. “There was an officer who needed to ask questions. When we finished, I took Lily to my house, since that doctor knows where you both live. She’s staying with me while you’re here.” Cass’ gaze hardened slightly, suspicious, but she sighed and looked to her sister. “Um…” Moving Lily’s hair aside, she saw the marks on her neck, deep and black-ish red, large ones that she couldn’t cover. Her sister tensed, holding Fiyero’s hand a little tighter. The anger rolling from Cass came off in waves, her glare worsening toward the redhead. “I’m sure these are  _ your  _ doing.” Unphased, he stroked Lily’s cheek, lips to her forehead. “I’ve done nothing but mark her as mine.” His gaze was affectionate as she blushed, the corners of her mouth twitching into a small smile. “Yes, well, whatever it is that  _ you  _ do to her, she is still  _ my  _ sister.” 

Cass cuddled to her, arm around Lily’s stomach and her head on her shoulder as she got comfortable. A contented sigh left her, hugging her close, as if all her stress had drained from her sister’s presence alone. Fiyero’s jaw flexed slightly, eyes shining with jealousy, but didn’t reply. When she saw Jason, Cass straightened, squirming a little in the cot, curiosity etched onto her face upon seeing the large basket. “What on Earth is that? What’s inside it?” The blonde pushed his hair back, smirk faltering, and almost threw the thing at her in his nervousness. Lily erupted into a fit of furious giggles, her eyes watering and losing her breath. Even Fiyero chuckled, the tension broken as Jason brushed it off, his cocky exterior back in place. 

He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but no sound came out. Lily huffed. “Grow a set, Starkweather. I told him to get it for you,” Hazel eyes found her sister’s aqua ones and she smiled softly. Cass swallowed, choking out a laugh, but a tear slipped down her cheek as she sifted through everything. Candles, stones, crystals, incense, tea, sage smudge sticks, with cherry blossom lotions and, in the very bottom, an oversized tee shirt. Lily’s eyebrows knit together at seeing the shirt, she never told him to get her that. Pulling it from the basket, her sister unfolded it to show what was written on the front.  _ I used to be a people person, but people ruined it. _ Head tilted slightly, Cass sent him a confused look and he shrugged. “Thought you might get tired of that thin ass nightgown while you’re here, Freckles. I know it’s probably shit since it’s mine, but fuck those nighties.” A noise stuck in her throat, a mix between a sob and another laugh, and a few more tears fell. “You actually bought all this?” She sniffed, her eyes hopeful as she looked at him. “For me?” 

Again, he shrugged. “Yeah,” a small laugh, his half-smile showing white teeth. “Aren’t princesses supposed to get this kinda stuff?” Lily knew her sister was about to break down, knowing exactly how much Cass liked him, even if she denied it. Sniffing, her sister wiped her watery eyes, giving him a small smile. “You had help.” “Psh,” trying to deny it, Jason shifted his weight, his eyes giving him away as he glanced to Lily. “What gives you that idea?” Regaining composure, she sniffed again and shook her head. “Doesn’t matter,” she replied, going over everything inside the basket, fingertips trailing over the stones and candles. “Thank you. Everything is… it’s great, but… what happened to your face?” The tension was back, Lily, Fiyero, and Jason all glancing to one another in minor panic when Lily bit her lip. A small whimper escaped, tears threatening to fall when Fiyero pressed repeated kisses to her forehead and crown, causing her sister’s panic to rise. “What. Happened.” 

  
“M-My p-p-parents,” Lily choked on a sob, tears rushing free, grip tightening as she held her boyfriend’s hand. “Baby, what do you mean? What about your parents?” “Th-they… they’re out. S-Someone… someone paid their bail and… th-they f-found me.” The boys bristled, as did Cass, looking to both of them as her eyes burned with rage. “How did they find you?” “I took her out today to go shopping,” Fiyero explained as Lily cried, trembling and holding onto both him and her sister. “We left a coffee shop and her mother…” Taking a deep breath, his jaw clenched. “Her mother yanked her back by her hair, threatening her and trying to make her go with them when they skip town.” Cass instantly wrapped herself around her sister, tears falling just the same, petting her hair and kissing her cheek repeatedly. “It’s okay now, baby, it’s okay. Do you know who paid their bail?” She shook her head. 

Cass’ aqua eyes found Fiyero’s emerald, her breathing heavy as she nodded to him. “Thank you, both of you. She… she’s been through too much already, but…” As she looked to Jason, she nodded in gesture to him. “That still doesn’t explain what happened to your face.” Cocky, he rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles. “Old bastard tried to start something, I finished it.” “Her father?” When Jason nodded, Cass shuddered, petting her sister’s hair again. “Lily baby, I am so sorry I wasn’t there. It’s okay now, you’re okay.” Finally, Lily nodded, hiccupping and she sniffed, Fiyero wiping her tears away. “It won’t happen again.” Still holding her hand, he kissed the back of it, letting her know he was there with her, even though his eyes and voice had darkened considerably. 

“Let…” Lily sniffed again, nodding to the basket on Cass’ lap to change the subject. “Let m-me see what you got.” Slowly, reluctantly, her sister pulled away and brought the basket closer to let her look inside. Not only did Jason buy everything she told him to, he got multiples of each, plus a few different things thrown in. Knowing everything inside cost more than what she’d given him, she made up her mind to ask him about it later. It was Cass’ time. Both girls started yawning, exhausted and worn down. For Cass, it was her medicine and needing another transfusion. For Lily, her anemia kept her tired more often than not. “All right, kids,” a nurse came in, cutting into their time together. “Visiting hours are ending in two minutes, and Miss Elworth needs a transfusion done.” 

The girls groaned, not ready to say goodbye, but the nurse in the room with them was a stern one. “I know, I know,” she sighed, waving her hands to get them moving. “But you can call and visit when it’s time.” Lily and Cass hugged one another, holding on tight and kissing each other’s cheeks. “C-Cass, I swear… I-I’m making brownies when… when you come home.” Her sister laughed, nuzzling into her neck. “And I’ll make anything you want for dinner too.” With great will, they released one another, Lily waving sadly back as they left. Fiyero kept his arm around her waist while Jason seemed to have more of a melancholy expression. He didn’t want to leave, either. “We’re coming back though, right?” The sheer remark caught her off guard and she laughed, shaking her head and peering up at him. “Don’t beg,” she made a teasing face. “You look like a dog.” “Ay! I don’t beg!” Eyebrow cocked, she clicked her tongue. “Uh huh, and how about you stay back next time I come and see her?” 

“Oh, come on, Half-pint,” Jason groaned, blue eyes widening slightly. “You wouldn’t.” She giggled as they got into Fiyero’s car. “Case and point.” The ride became increasingly quiet the closer they got to his house. Lily barely noticed, her mind running rapidly over everything that happened. It was supposed to be a good day, something to take her mind off of her sister being in the hospital. Instead, she had to deal with not one, but two girls trying to go after her boyfriend as well as her parents. Her parents. She didn’t know who posted their bail, but the thought terrified her that it could have been anyone. It didn’t make sense. Who would want them out, and before the trial? The more she tried to make sense of things, the more her head ached. Once they’d arrived, her chest felt heavy, even with her boyfriend rubbing her side comfortingly. 

“Half-pint, there’s somethin’ I gotta know,” her step faltered, dreading whatever was about to come from his mouth. “Y-Yeah?” “Not now, Starkweather,” Fiyero pulled Lily to him, his voice almost a growl. “She’s been through enough today.” Jason rolled his head with a heavy sigh. “Look, I get it. Today was shit on every end, but I need to know what the fuck’s going on and why the fuck did I beat that guy’s ass?” She swallowed, a couple tears instantly falling as she bit her lip. “Fuck! Half-pint,” Jason put an uneasy hand on her shoulder, concern shining in his eyes with the confusion. “Look, I… Fuck, I’m shit with apologies, but I gotta know, bro. What happened to you?”

 


End file.
